20 – Full Moon

Several hours later

Stiles:

Everything felt so numb, aching whenever I moved my limbs. Night was rolling around, the sun settling in the sky and no one in sight. I looked over at the ashes that lay at the campfire, wondering if the pack would show up any time soon. The silence was so unsettling and raising fear of what would happen tonight was growing. I looked over at Lydia who'd been pacing back and forth for literal hours, it was weird, like I could hear her heart pounding, it was like when I heard their conversation. Was this the super hearing…so did they really give me the bite?

"Maybe they'll still be here." Lydia said, referring to our own pack, wondering if they'd picked up my scent or something. It was a hope we'd had for the past day, but no one had shown up and I had to admit I was losing faith in the diming light.

"Even if they're on their way, there no guarantee they'll get here before the full moon is up." I said, looking down my still throbbing wound. I mean, I've clearly got better hearing, but no healing…what is this?

"I'm not screaming at you." She said, looking at me with a stern parental expression. Heck, she seemed offended at the suggestion.

"Lydia…you won't really have a choice if I'm trying to rip your face off."

"Actually, you'll aim for the jugular, but even so. I think you'll come to your senses."

"Even Scott went crazy, why wouldn't I?"

"Because it's me. Not Derek, not Scott, no anyone else. It's me." She said, slumping down opposite me, and as much as I wanted to refute her claims, she had a point. But even so, my emotions won't matter too much if I turn into a wolf.

"I'm just saying, consider it. Clearly it stopped one of theirs-"

"Who hasn't shown up again, yes that bodes well."

"You didn't kill anyone."

"You don't know that, I doubt overheard them saying he was doing great and will right as rain in no time."

"You didn't kill anyone. And I know you wouldn't kill me." I say, looking her deep in the eyes, hoping she would listen to me. "Please, just say you'll consider it."

"I make no promises." She mumbled, and as if on cue, out of the woods emerged our three favourite captors. Though they seemed a little more perky today, and just as they each took their places at the campfire, out walked the fourth wolf. I looked back to Lydia who almost relaxed at the thought that he was alive, but it was quickly followed with disappointment that we were still dealing with four instead of three.

My attention drifted back to them, igniting the fire up once again, then dashing off into the trees. Probably to collect firewood for their little bonfire, but before they left, they made sure to glance over at us. I could smell the anticipation from them as the bounded off and out of sight. It almost made me sick. Although that could be the moonlight drifting over the trees and towards the cage.

It was weird, I felt no pain, at least no more than my aching shoulder. I wasn't even feeling aggressive or angry…just sort of tired. It all felt strange and wrong, like this wasn't meant to happen. I know Peter said the Bite could kill you, but it didn't feel like it was doing that either.

"Do you feel anything?" Lydia asked, startling me out of my thoughts, I shot her a glance and then shook my head. "Nothing?" Again, I shook my head, and I heard the rustling of leaves, Mr. Red hoodie had made an appearance. He looked over and then wandered over to the fire.

"It's weird, I can-" I began before the pain kicked in, but it still felt wrong. The pain was only in my shoulder, knocking the wind out of me and tensing every muscle in my body as I grabbed my arm, unable to croak our any sound. Lydia rushing over, flustered and asking me all sorts of questions that slipped in one ear and out the other.

I couldn't move my wounded arm at all, and it started to feel like my shoulder was tearing itself apart, yet no other part felt like that. I tried to take a breath and slowly looked to my shoulder, noticing Lydia's hands hovering and frozen in shock. As my eyes reached the sight I could see why, it wasn't blood but a black smoke escaping from my shoulder. Thick and concentrated as it evaporated into the air, and something was telling me this defiantly wasn't supposed to happen.

"The fu-" I the thud of logs on the ground and the hint of a German accent. The other wolves had returned from their trip, clearly confused at the smoke leaving my body. With just made this all even more terrifying, because this defiantly wasn't supposed to happen.

The constant stream of smoke turned into brief puffs and the pain eased off, the teeth marks closing almost instantly, and the surge of adrenaline kicked in. Pins and needles ran through my fingers like electricity and my vision went monochrome. It was like looking through infrared goggles, except I wasn't wearing any. Lydia was backing away, moving to the other side of the cage, holding her hands close to her chest.

I got to my feet and spun around to see the wolves all just staring at the cage, including their leader, having frozen in place from shear fear and confusion. I placed my hands on the gate door, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turned white. And I pushed, the doors hinges snapping and landing on the ground with a thud.

My eyes flicked up to the glowing figures in front of me, watching them drop to all fours, growling and yelping as the became wolves. I stepped out of the cage, looking down at my still very human hands, no even feeling any fangs or fur. It was so strange, it was like I had all the abilities and nothing affecting my appearance.

One of the wolves began running towards me, mouth open and dripping salvia as it leapt up to rip out my jugular.

"Stiles!" Lydia shouted as she watched the wolf pounce up into the air, but it felt like I had all the time in the world to do something. What scared me was the overwhelming feeling of violence that ran through my veins, something I'd only experienced with the Nogitsune. Did the Nogitsune have something to do with this, Jeremy did say I didn't smell completely human, was a part of it left?

While my mind was distracted by thoughts, my body acted against my own will, like I was being controlled yet again, and my eyes watched as a hand wrapped around the wolf's throat, jarring it to a halt as it howled. Scratching at my arms, begging to dropped to the ground. I was physically fighting my body to stop of snapping the creatures neck.

A scream emerging from my own lips as I instead threw the wolf back into the others, watching them fall like pins. Then my attention turned to the leader, who seemed all too disinterested in this whole thing.

"That's what the smell was then." He said, a suave and well enunciated voice, it was almost calming and oddly endearing. He practically glided around the fire, arms in his pockets and never breaking eye contact. He reached his groaning pack and leaned down and placed a gentle hand on one of their heads, calming them with a single touch. "A hybrid." He muttered.

"Excuse me?" I said, keeping my distance, and glancing back into the cage see Lydia moving closer. Her heart could only tell me she wasn't fearful of me, it was almost encouraging.

"A hybrid. Not a wolf…but not entirely something else. A mix, something left behind by another part of you." He said, getting back to his feet and looking over to me before looking back to the woods.

There was nothing but a pause of silence before Mr. Red hoodie decided to transform himself into a much larger wolf, as if his Alpha status wasn't clear enough. Once he'd finished yowling and shaken his ripped clothes off, he chuffed and walked into the forest. My attention turned to the remaining wolves who had shifted back to humans.

"Where are you going? We have to kill them!" The female shouted to her Alpha, the wolf that had simply disappeared into the woods. Had he jus given up, was he not willing to fight him now? Why would he just abandon everything?

I wanted to chase after him, but the remaining pack members didn't seem too keen on that idea, having grabbed some loose weapons they stood ready to defend their territory. But just as I beckoned Lydia to step back, pounding of footsteps echoed and heartbeats thumping through the trees, everyone's attention drawn to the new arrivals, which just so happened to be my pack.

Malia leading the group, her short hair bouncing as she leapt from foot to foot, I watched as the tackled the largest member of the group and all I could think was thank god. Then came Isaac, followed by Elena and Nick who took on the two remaining members, downing them and knocking them out before I'd even moved an inch.

I darted over to Malia who was about ready to slash her victim's throat before I grabbed her hand, pulling her off and hugging her. "I'm fine." I said, and I stood, listening to her heart slowly come down, and once it was steady I pulled away.

"We can't leave them here." She said, looking down at the unconscious assailants.

"They've been abandoned, I doubt they'll try anything again." I said, looking to the cage to see Lydia dashing over for her hug, as we found ourselves relaxing.

"Quick question, what happened to that door?" Isaac asked, pointing at the gaping doorway I'd broken into the cage, and as much I wanted to say I ripped it off it's hinges, I couldn't find the words.

"And the bite on your shoulder?" Malia asked, tugged at the holes ripped in my blood-soaked shirt, unable to find the injury that caused it.

Before I could even try to explain everything that happened, I glanced down at the bodies, counting only three. I was only now realising how I'd forgotten the fourth, considering only showed up today. "Where's the fourth?"

"Four-" Malia began before a wolf leapt from trees and tackled her, snapping at those of us that tried to help. It's teeth instantly going to grab the back of her neck before a roar echoed from behind him. His ears twitching and vibrating at the sound, and it eased off, whimpering and slinking away.

To no one's surprise out of the shadows came Scott, red eyes on show, his face perking up like a deer as he looked at me, Isaac too.

"Dude you have blue eyes." Isaac said, looking at me, and my instant reaction was to hold my hands up and rapidly blink though I suppose it was too late for that. Malia's head flung up as Scott helped her to her feet, also noticing the blue eyes.

"You're now a werewolf?" She asked, and surprisingly it was Lydia who stepped in.

"He's a Hybrid, that's what their Alpha."

"Alpha. I must have missed him on my way down here." Scott said, almost disappointed that one had gotten away, and one so powerful. "But a…Hybrid."

"I think the Nogitsune left a part behind…a part that rejects most of the werewolf."

"So, you get the best of both worlds." Isaac said, patting me on the back with strength that still knocked me forwards.

"Sure, if we disregard the whole Nogitsune aggression that I had to fight to not kill anyone."

"That's something you can learn, right Scott?" He added, looking to his Alpha with such pride who nodded in favour of the idea.

"Well, that means you're not just the human in a wolf pack now." Scott laughed, moving in for a hug. "Also, I'm glad you're alright." He said.

"Glad you made it." I said, looking over to Elena and Nick. "And I suppose I should thank you too."

"Well, your pack saved Nick, and you seem too nice to let you just get killed." Elena said, smiling at me. "And if your ever in bear valley, you should visit us, especially since you're now a werewolf…. or Hybrid."

"Good to know." I smiled, as I watched the two Stonehaven wolves leave. I turned back to my own pack. "But there is still this packs Alpha out there."

"And these, even if you say their Alpha abandoned them." Malia interjected, looking to Scott for answers.

"I'll have Chris take them to a secure facility. Maybe we can reform them or something. In the meantime, we can look for the Alpha." He said, patting Malia's back and wandering off to the forest.

"But hey, at least you survived your first full moon!" Isaac joked, grabbing Malia and dashing off after Scott. A small shake of my head I take Lydia's hand and follow.

"Yes, but I think a long bath and a nap will make the night a little better." I say, smiling at Lydia who sighs in relief at the idea of finally heading home after two months.

Even if we still had an Alpha to hunt.

Fin

A/N: So, this is the end, congrats if you made it this far. I figured it was the place to end it for now. I don't know if I'll do a sequel or further chapters, maybe I will, maybe I won't. But yes, I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless and thank you for the encouraging reviews v