I sat in my father's office at the police station reciting the story that Chris told me to say to Parrish. My mind kept wondering off to the sight of Allison bleeding out and dying in front of me. Jake sat beside me but didn't try to comfort me. I wasn't big on people trying to comfort me and he knew that. I might break down if someone tried to. I pulled my dad's jacket around me tighter as I still felt my cuts bleeding.
"Miss Bryn?" Parrish's voice sounded distant and distorted. I didn't answer him as I continued to stare off in space. "Callana?" Derek stood in the corner of the office but I barely even noticed him. Jake must have called him when we showed up at the station but I didn't remember seeing him walking into the office. Everything was just happening so fast. Everything was a blur. I felt the couch cushions move as Jake slid down to allow Derek to sit next me.
"Lily?" His voice was sweet and I was happy that he was there with me. I finally turned my head to look at him and stared blankly into his green and brown eyes. He gripped my hand and took the pain away from the cuts. He tried not to flinch at the pain that was going to him but I could still tell and pulled my hand away. He grabbed my hand again but didn't try to take the pain. Just held on tighter and looked me in the eye. "You need to tell what happend to Allison. Okay? Can you do that?" I slightly and slowly nodded my head before turning back to Parrish.
"I called Chris Argent first." I said slowly and hestiantly. Even my voice sounded like a stranger to me. "There were two of them. They tried to steal our car. They-They wore masks. One of them. . ." I stopped as I tried to remember the story but my thoughts were getting tangled together. "I'm sorry. It all happened so fast. I think one of them had a knife. It was sharp and metallic. I think it was a knife." I couldn't remember anything else. "It happened so fast."
"Can you remember anything else?" Parrish asked. My head throbbed with the images of Allison's body. "Anything else?" The once bright eyes now lifeless and gone. "Callana?" My voice dropped down to a whisper as I struggled to keep my emotions under control.
"I'm sorry. It just happened so fast."
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I awoke to the mixture of pine scent and burning flesh. I lift my head from the softness of the pillows and sat up to find myself in Derek's bed at the loft. Aiden was leaning against the large window was Ethan was shirtless as Derek tried to burn the wolfsbane out of their wounds. I pushed back the dark purple covers and climbed out of bed. I crossed my arms over my chest as I slowly made my way to the table as Derek was finishing up with Ethan. My baggy shirt brushed lightly across my skin as I moved and my booty shorts showed off my muscular thighs and legs. I pushed myself up onto the table's edge as Derek walked over to me and pressed his forehead to mine.
"Hey, beautiful." He smiled. He kissed me before turning back to Ethan. "Should be find in a couple of hours. Unless whoever shot you manages to find you again."
"Lydia's with Scott." Aiden said as he made his way to the door with Ethan behind him. "We need to go."
"You're going to try to convince her to go with you?" Aiden and Ethan stopped and turned back to us.
"I'm going to try to convince her to run and hide. Like any sane person would do."
"And Danny?"
"Allison's dead." Ethan reminded him. "Stiles is dying. What do you think?"
"I think Danny won't believe you. And Lydia would never run and hide."
"Because of Stiles?" Aiden challenged him.
"Because of Scott. You've been trying to find a way into his pack. Trying to earn his trust, trying to fight for him. You've had it wrong the whole time. You don't fight for a leader. You fight for a leader's cause."
"What cause?"
"Scott's always been about one thing. Saving his friends. He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. And when he's beaten down, he stands up again. You want to earn a place in his pack? You want redemption? Find another way to stand and fight." Aiden and Ethan didn't say anything. They just turned and left the loft. Derek walked back over to me and stood between my legs as he pressed his forehead into mine again. He placed his hands on my hips but when I flinched at the touch, he immediately back away. I pulled him back and placed his hands under my shirt to show him that I was healed.
"You're still an Alpha at heart." I told him and he smiled at my words. "My alpha male."
"You're the alpha though." My smile drooped and I looked down into my lap. "What's wrong, Lily?"
"I wasn't much of an Alpha last night. I couldn't protect Isaac. He got hurt. I couldn't protect Allison. I just laid there on the ground and gave up. I stopped fighting." He grabbed me by the chin and lifted my head up to look him in the eyes.
"You're a wonderful and Isaac thinks so and so do I. I love you, Lily, and I don't want anyone to be my Alpha but you." His phone rang and he answered it. When he hung up, he turned to me. "We gotta go meet Stiles and Scott at the school. Go meet with them and I'll take care of the nogitsune. Go be an Alpha, Lily."
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I met up with Stiles, Scott, Kira and Lydia in front of the school. Stiles was leaning against Lydia for support.
"Where's Derek?" Scott asked.
"He has the triskele box." I said. "He's dealing with it with Aiden and Ethan." Scott nodded his approval and reached for the door handle but Stiles stopped.
"Scott, hold on." Stiles said. "I know what your all thinking. If this works, it might kill me, too. But even if it does, you have to go through with it. Stick with the plan, okay?"
"Don't be silly. No one else is dying. Not as long as I'm an Alpha."
"The plan is to save you." Scott reminded him. "That's the plan I'm going with." Scott opened the doors and we walked into a Japense snowy garden. We passed through an arch with vines growing up the pillars and onto the freshly laid snow. Even though it was snowing, it wasn't cold. Dead bushed and trees surrounded us with snow neatly placed on their limbs. We stood in the center of the garden and looked around as the doors closed behind us.
"Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan." Stiles said.
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Shuffling sounded by the doors and we turned to see the bandaged figure with the silver jagged teeth stumbling out into the open towards us. Kira pulled out her sword ready to defend herself.
"Like I promised, Stiles." The nogitsune rasped. "We're going to kill all of them. One by one." An oni materialized in front of us and swung its sword out but was stopped by Kira's sword. Two more Oni appeared behind us.
"What the hell is this?" Scott demanded. "Where are we?"
"Between life and death."
"Bardo." Lydia clarified.
"But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia. You're dying, Stiles. And now everyone you care about is dying, too."
"What?" Stiles questioned him. "What do you mean?"
"I've captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles. The hospital. The police station." My heart stopped as I thought about my dad being harmed by one of the Oni. "And now the animal clinic."
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"Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?" The nogitsune questioned him.
"No, and I don't want to." Stiles retorted with a hint of anger and fear in his voice. The nogistune got closer to Stiles and Scott and I took a defensive stance in front of him.
"When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor, but that's not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai with his own katana." The nogistune pointed a slender bandaged finger at me and Scott. "Calla. . . Scott. . . Calla and Scott are your kaishakunin. I'm going to make your best friends kill you, Stiles. And you're going to let him. Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an Oni's blade. Unless Calla and Scott kill you first." The nogistune pushed right past Scott and me and got up into Stiles's face.
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
"To win the game." The nogitsune stepped back behind the Oni and they twirled their swords, ready to attack. Scott and I wolfed out ready to attack and Kira pulled out her sword and took a defensive stance. I didn't think I would fight Japanese warriors twice in one week.
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I pushed Stiles and Lydia behind a bush before dodging a blade of one of the Oni. I grabbed both wrists in my hands and stared into the dark holes for eyes. The silver mask shined brightly as I looked at my glowing red eyes in the reflection. I growled loudly as the Oni tried to pry my grip off of his wrists. He clicked his tongue and I let out a roar to let him know that I meant business. The snow tasted cold and sweet as the snowflakes landed on my tongue as I licked my canines. The smell of burning flesh clouded my nostrils as I let go of the Oni and continued to fight. I did a backflip and as my feet came up into the air, I kicked the Oni in the chest sending it back before landing neatly and gracefully in the soft snow on the ground. The Oni got up and swung at me again and I backed up till I was back to back with Kira and Scott in the middle of the garden with the Oni surrounding us.
"How is this happening?" Scott inquired. "How are we in this place?"
"You're asking me?" Kira questioned him hastily as she eyed the Oni one by one. "A month ago, I never even touched a sword." I leapt back into battle lashing my claws left and right hoping that Aiden, Derek and Ethan were having better luck than us.
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It seemed like the more we pushed them down, the faster they got up and came after us. My eyes grew blood red as my vision went to wolf sight, making my reflexes faster and stronger. I dodged every sword and landed punched into their chests to knock them back down to the ground but only to have them get right back up. Nothing was stopping them. But all I cared about was that they weren't getting anywhere near Stiles. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kira's sword get knocked out of her hand and it clattered in the snow as the two Oni surrounded her. Stiles quickly grabbed the sword and stood up and placed the tip of the sword into his stomach, his hands tightly gripping the hilt. We stopped fighting to look at him.
"Stiles, no!" Scott cried as the Nogitsune growled at Stiles's move. "Stiles."
"What if it saves you?" Stiles questioned him. "What if it saves all of you?"
"What if it's just another trick?" I snapped.
"No more tricks, Calla." The nogitsune breathed. "End it. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself. Calla. Scott. Do it. Be his kaishakunin. Give up the game." Stiles gripped the sword tighter till his knuckles turned whiter than the snow, ready to plunge the sword into his gut.
"Stiles!" I yelled at him, fear clinging to my heart. "Stiles, please." His eyes got wide as he looked at the reflection on the blade of the sword. He tossed the sword back to Kira and looked around behind him. I shut off my wolf vision to try to see what he was seeing but I didn't understand.
"You have no moves left."
"I do." Stiles finally said turning back to the Nogitsune with new confidence in his eyes. "A divine move." The nogitsune snarled at him.
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"Stop fighting them." Stiles demanded. "It's an illusion. You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real but Calla and Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion." Scott and I shared a questioning look trying to decided what was the best and smart choice to do. We turned to the nogitsune as the Oni took their stance on either side of the Nogitsune in front of him, protecting him from harm. I looked back at Scott.
"Are you sure about this?" I questioned him.
"You're an Alpha too, Calla." Scott reminded me. "Are you sure?"
"I trust my best friend."
"So do I." We focused our attention back to the Nogitsune. We began to walk forward and as soon as I got into reach of the Oni, it lashed its sword out and I had to fight the instinct to not to defend myself as it raked acrossed my chest. I roared in pain as the burning sensation poured through my body as the blood ran out, staining my clothes. I growled before straightening back up and pushing forward, my eyes focused on the Nogitsune. I bit back a snarl as another Oni sword came down upon me causing me more pain. Scott and Kira's cries sounded behind me and I had to drown them out to stop myself from turning around and kicking the Oni's asses. My feet dragged in the snow as I struggled to press forward as each Oni sword took its turn on me. I reached the Nogitsune and snarled as I slammed myself into him and through the doors. When we went through the doors, the weight disappeared and we all tumbled into the hallways of the high school. We stood there looking around for a moment trying to comprehend what had just happened. I looked down at myself to see how badly I was hurt but there were no wounds. I examined Kira and Scott and saw that they were fine too. "We're okay. We're. . ." Scott was cut off with a grunt as something slammed into his jaw from the side causing him to fall to the ground. I turned to see the Stiles Nogitsune, eyes dark with mischief and a smirk playing across his face. Before I could retaliate, his fist shot into his cheek and I tumbled to the ground with Scott and Kira got the same result.
"This was my game." The nogitsune snapped. "You think you can beat me at my game?" He turned his focus on Stiles and Lydia as they backed up down the hallway away from the Nogitsune but he followed after them.
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"Divine move." The nogitsune growled as I laid on the ground struggling to find movement in my muscles. I gritted my teeth as my limbs shook when I pushed myself up. "Divine move? You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the Oni but me? Me? I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!"
"But we can change you." Lydia said hastily. I scrambled to my feet, pulling Scott up with me and we made our way down to the nogitsune as he stood there and looked at Lydia questioningly.
"What?"
"You forgot about the scroll." Stiles said.
"The Shugendo scroll." Lydia elaborated.
"Change the host." The nogitsune breathed.
"You can't be a fox and a wolf." Stiles said. Scott and I grabbed each of the nogitsune's arms and sank our teeth into the flesh letting our venom sink in. The nogitsune yelled and pulled away from us as Kira came and stabbed her sword through the middle of his chest. The nogitsune dropped the ground and opened his mouth to to allow a fly to buzz out. It flew down the hallway and was about to exit the school but Isaac appeared and trapped the fly in the triskele box and snapped the lid on tightly. The body of the nogitsune began to twitch before it turned to stone and began to crack and crumbled to the floor, turning to dust. Just when I was about to sigh with relief, Stiles went limb and dropped to the ground unconscience.
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I knelt down beside Stiles' body with Lydia and Scott. Stiles's eyes fluttered open and he looked around to check out his surroundings.
"Oh God, I fainted, didn't I?" Stiles mumbled. We laughed but exhaled with relief. "We're alive. We all alive?"
"Yeah." Scott answered. "We're okay." Before I could reach over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze, a stabbing sharp hit my gut and I felt like something inside me was being torn apart. Something was wrong. Majorly wrong. I got up and jumped over Stiles, running straight out of the school and to the bridge where my gut was pulling me to. I stopped at the top of the steps and saw Aiden sitting on the ground, clutching his stomach as black blood poured out. Derek and Ethan sat beside him with Chris standing in front of him. I took the steps three at a time and ran to Aiden's side.
"Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?" Aiden asked his twin brother.
"Yeah." Ethan whispered, placing his forehead against Aiden's as he whimpered in pain. My gut twisted and churned as I watched my packmate in pain.
"Okay. Lydia never believed that I was one of the good guys anyways."
"She'll believe me." I reassured him, place my hand on his temple to soothe him and try to take some of the pain away.
"It hurts."
"I know. It'll be over soon. You'll okay. You'll. . ." My voice cut off as I choked back a sob. How many packmates would I have to lose? Aiden whimpered as he strained to keep breathing but Ethan whispered soothing words to calm him until he stopped breathing. My arms shook as I helped lay him down on the ground and closed his eyes. Ethan clutched his brother's chest sobbing. Derek stood up and grabbed my arm to help me up and pull me into his arms.
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I sat on the windowsill and looked out over the city from the loft. It was dark and the full moon was high. The air was still and cold but for once it didn't bother. I didn't know what I felt like. I didn't feel anything. Footsteps sounded to the side of me but I ignored them. Derek stopped beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I smiled at the touch and felt reassurance from it. I leaned my hand against it and rubbed my cheek against it.
"How many packmates do I have to lose?" I asked but before Derek could answered the door to the loft opened and five Mexican men with shotguns entered and walked over to us. Before we could react to pushed my aside and punched Derek in the nose, knocking him against the table. I growled and my canines grew but before I could defend my mate, a shotgun was pointed to my head. I snarled at the man but decided that it was best to stay still and see what the hell was going on.
"Now, my friend, you're gonna tell us about la loba." The leader of the hunters said. "Where's the she-wolf?"
"You should just go ahead and kill me." Derek said, standing up. "'Cause you're never going to find Cora." The hunter looked at him questioningly.
"Cora? Who the hell is Cora?" Derek and I shared a look before a can of smoke shot from the side of the loft door and into the loft. More cans followed and the hunters scattered. I coughed at the smoke filling my lungs and looked around for Derek but my vision was a blur.
"Derek!" I called out. A snarling noise sounded but it sounded nothing like Derek. The next thing I knew, my legs were swept out from underneath me and my head hit the concrete with a crack.