There
AN: Hi all, here's the next chapter.
I also posted a few more chapters in the prequel towards the end of last week if you'd like to check that out. I was planning to have the second half of that arc up by now but haven't been feeling that great lately so it's been put on the back burner.
I've changed the way I'm updating the prequel again, to the point that there is no plan other than to post as I feel is a good time really. At least it's more updates than before, I guess.
It was nearly ten by the time they made it to Scott's house. Stiles started working on the Jeep while Steve joined Scott in his room to prepare for the trip.
"You're not going to be able to beat the skinwalkers. Not in your condition," Steve warned Scott as he was packing his bag.
"Then come with us."
Steve shook his head. "Someone needs to stay here and make sure everyone is safe. They're fast, great fighters, and, most importantly, they're tricksters. While you try to avoid their spears, they'll break the ground from beneath you." Scott looked at the other alpha with wide eyes. "You might not have to fight them though. Keep your distance and keep moving and you should be able to escape.
"How do you know so much more than us? More than the Argents?"
"The Argents claim they're the first hunting family, but the Caesars, August's family, predates them by a few centuries. They had different methods, so not a lot was shared between them."
Scott hesitated for a moment before closing his bag and headed out the room. The two headed downstairs and found Liam in the living room.
"They're alive," Liam stated as he jumped from the couch. "I mean the chimeras, some of them, not all of them."
"We know," Scott told him.
"You do?"
"Yeah," Scott replied. "I'm sorry, I can't talk right now Liam," he added holding up his bag.
"Look, it was Theo. He's the one who brought them back. And now they're with him. Like they're his pack," Liam continued.
"We know," Scott repeated before walking away.
"Hayden's one of them," Liam said, stopping Scott.
"She's okay?"
"She's alive," Liam paused, "I'm not sure she's totally okay, but she's definitely alive."
"That's good," Scott told him.
"Where are you guys going?"
"To get Kira. Her dad told us her mom took her out to New Mexico. There's a place called Shiprock. They're trying to figure out a way to help her, but it's dangerous. So, we're gonna go find her and bring her back."
"I'll come with you," Liam said moving forward.
Scott took a step back shaking his head. "No. You can't."
"Let me help," Liam said as Scott walked away. "Let me do something. Just tell me what I can do."
Scott stopped and turned to the beta. "Don't do anything," he said before heading out the door.
Liam looked back to Steve. "Some wounds take longer to heal," Steve told him.
"What if this one doesn't?"
"It might leave a scar, but it will eventually heal," Steve told the beta before heading out to the garage.
"You didn't see the way that he came at me. You didn't see the look in his eyes," Scott told Stiles while holding the light.
"Well, I've been with you on a full moon, so I've seen that look," Stiles replied.
"He's not the first werewolf to attack someone he cared about," Steve said behind me.
"But this was different than just a full moon," Scott said turning to Steve.
"Yeah, it was a supermoon," Steve commented as he surveyed the engine. "You saw my face when I was fighting Charlie. It wasn't even a full moon," Steve admitted.
"But it's different."
"Is it?"
"Ya know, you want to get the band back together, you don't leave out the drummer," Stiles added as he moved to the door and started the car. He ran back, surprised at the running engine, before raising his arm and saying, "Success."
"Watch over everyone and let me know if anything happens," Scott told Steve while they moved to the passenger door. "Tell my mom where we went. And keep her safe too," he added once he got to the door.
"I will," Steve told him as they hopped in the car. "Looks like there wasn't going to be any room for me anyway," Steve joked when he noticed the mountain of antifreeze in the back seat.
"It's a minor leak," Stiles told the two pinching his fingers close together. "Very minor." Stiles pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road.
Steve returned home and sat down with the rest of his pack.
"Jay, you keep working with Malia. Leonard, tag along with Liam, make sure he keeps his head down and stays in control. August, go with Zach and find out everything you can about Eichen House, he'll be able to get you to the roof past all of security. Fiona, we're going to check you into Eichen," Steve started issuing orders.
"Absolutely not," Charlie protested, "August is already going to be infiltrating that place. Stiles and Lydia said they were almost killed there. You can't put Fiona's life at risk like that."
"I'm not defenseless," she told Charlie.
"She's right. Besides, we need someone who's able to be there during the day. Someone who they won't suspect is fully aware."
"How do we convivence them of that? Tell them Fiona sees dead people?" Jay joked.
"It's a start. We'll brainstorm on the way there tonight," Steve told her.
"Tonight? Then check me in too," Charlie suggested.
"Can't," Steve said shaking his head. "I'll need you around to look into what this last chimera could be and provide back up if needed. Let's head out," Steve commanded. Everyone nodded, except Charlie.
August and Zach had beaten Fiona, Charlie, and Steve to Eichen. The three got out of the car and headed towards the gate. "This is a horrible plan, Steve. We haven't even figured out what Fiona can do to get checked in."
The two stopped when they noticed that Fiona wasn't following them anymore. She was frozen and staring up at the doors with a blank expression. "That might do it," Steve said walking back to her. "Now just do that once we see the doctor."
"I can't reach her mind," Charlie whispered.
"Her connection is still there," Steve said moving towards Fiona, "But her mind is elsewhere."
"It's Lydia," Fiona stated, causing the two wolves to stare at her.
"We'll have no way of communicating with her. I'm taking her home," Charlie said as he walked towards her.
Fiona's arm snapped up and blocked Charlie from approaching her. "No, I have to go in."
"Are you sure?" Steve asked.
Her head snapped towards him, still staring blankly ahead, as if she were looking through him. "People are going to die." Steve nodded as he picked her up and brought her into Eichen House.
Marin Morell met them in the lobby. "We're taking her home," Charlie muttered at Steve, but the alpha shook his head.
She led them into a private room. "What happened to her?" She asked once the door closed.
"What's it look like?" Charlie told her.
"Well, if you want me to help her I need to know what happened."
"Can't someone else help her?" Steve asked.
"You've heard the stories. I can keep her away from the less desirable staff."
"There's staff less desirable than you?" Charlie asked.
"We aren't sure, she froze like this when we got close. She mentioned Lydia and people dying," Steve stated, ignoring the beta's comment.
"People are going to die, and you're going to need her help," Marin warned them.
"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Steve said.
"Then why are you risking so much? What are you doing here?"
"Because she's not the only banshee we need," Steve told her. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here," she said flatly.
"Psychically assigned yourself to this case?" the beta said.
Marin looked at the two. "I'm doing what I always do. Preserving the balance."
"Well you're doing a terrible job, if you haven't noticed," Charlie stated.
Marin glared at him. "You need to take her out of here, it's not safe."
"No," Fiona muttered staring at the wall. "I need to help Lydia."
"Unless you have some other way of helping Lydia, she stays," Steve stated.
"With what's coming, I can't promise her safety," Marin warned.
"What's coming?" Charlie asked.
"The chimeras aren't the only threat right now."
"Just let us know if anything happens, we'll make sure she's safe," Steve said.
"I'll be able keep her out of the closed unit where Lydia is. I'm curious how you plan to get past the mountain ash when something happens," Marin said.
"I have my ways," the alpha told her.
Marin's eyes narrowed before she dismissed the two.
"Well there goes your daytime person," Charlie snarled once they were outside, "Your plan is already falling apart."
"It's evolving. Fiona figures she has a bigger role to play," Steve stated descending the steps. "Helping Lydia," he added when Charlie looked at him. "August will just have to make up the work I guess." Steve looked up and saw the harpy's winged silhouette on the roof against the moonlight before the two returned home.
Leonard covered his ears as the PA system squealed. "Mr. O'Quinn's classes are canceled for today. If anyone knows his whereabouts, please let the office know immediately."
"That doesn't sound too ominous," Mason joked a few feet in front of Leonard. Liam remained silent. Leonard looked up and spotted Hayden and Theo speaking with each other further down the hall. "You said Scott told you not to do anything."
"I know," Liam snarled as Theo smiled at him.
"Liam, you said you weren't going to get involved," Mason reminded him.
"I know."
"Liam, don't get involved," Mason warned moving in front of Liam.
"You don't have to beat him senseless, but there is another way to get involved," Leonard said walking up to the pair. Liam turned around, his face a mixture of anger and confusion. "Espionage is much more exciting than a fight," he chuckled.
The two boys stared at the eavesdropper. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Mason asked.
"I'm Leonard. With Steve's pack," he answered extending his hand. The two boys looked down but otherwise ignored the hand. "Let's get to class." he said gesturing for the boys to follow.
"Our class is this way," Mason pointed in the opposite direction.
"Oh, right. My bad, first day," he said walking between the two boys who still didn't move, "Let's go!" Leonard shouted waving his arms.
"I've never seen someone that excited about his first day," Mason said to Liam.
"Yeah," Liam muttered as the two followed the werelion.
Mason sat next to Leonard as Ms. Finch started her lecture on codominance.
"So, what are you?" Mason whispered.
"Werelion, you?" Leonard asked.
"Human. Shouldn't you be able to smell that?"
"You never know what things someone might be hiding," the werelion stated as he tapped his nose. "Like how you're trying to hide your crush on that chimera." Leonard nodded towards Corey who sat across the aisle.
"Students in the first and third row look behind you. These are your lab partners." Ms. Finch stated before turning around.
"Remember, espionage," Leonard smirked as he pulled the girl sitting behind Corey towards him and nudging Mason to take her place.
Fiona looked back at herself laying in her cell. She heard footsteps further down the basement and went to investigate. As she was about to round the corner, a scream erupted causing glass to shatter down the hall. She ran towards the noise, but saw no one there.
"Remember that in codominance, neither allele is recessive," Ms. Finch explained. "The phenotypes of both alleles are expressed. In human blood, what is a good example of codominance?"
"Type AB," Corey answered.
"Very good," she congratulated. "So today you're going to solve a little mystery. Two couples had babies on the same day and in the same hospital. Where the babies switched?" she asked holding out her arms. "Open your packets and read the instructions."
The girl who Leonard pulled away opened the packet next to him and started reading, while Leonard observed Mason and Liam.
"You gonna talk to me?" Hayden asked Liam.
"I'm reading the instructions."
"You know what I mean."
"You mean how you're hanging out with a total psycho that tried to get me to kill Scott and then did it himself? Yeah, okay. Let's talk about that."
"That total psycho brought me back to life. Remember that? I'm not dying again."
"You don't have to—"
"Why? Because Scott's gonna save us? He doesn't even know what's coming."
"What do you mean? What's coming?"
"Seems to be a lot of discussion over here," Ms. Finch interrupted. "Can't imagine you've solved the mystery, have you?"
"No," Liam sighed.
"Get to it." She told the pair.
"Hey," the girl snapped her fingers in Leonard's face. "Have you figured this out yet?"
"Uh, codominating isn't really my thing. I'm more familiar with monarchies."
"Okay, no. You pulled me away from one of the smartest kids in the class to work with you. So, now you," She said as she opened his packet and slammed it in front of him, "are going to help me figure this out."
Leonard stared back at her wide eyed and heard Mason chuckle at him.
He looked down at the packet for a minute. He slid the packet towards girl. "The kids were switched at birth."
"Wha-?" the girl started before she was interrupted by the bell.
"If you didn't solve the mystery, then finish it tonight, along with the rest of your assigned homework," Ms. Finch announced as everyone packed up to leave.
Leonard left the girl with her mouth hanging open as he caught up with Liam.
"You'd make a horrible James Bond," Leonard told Liam as the exited the classroom. Liam gritted his teeth together as Leonard continued to his gym class.
Leonard found his locker and heard Corey and Mason talking in the back.
"You want to go out again?" Mason asked Corey.
"Yeah."
"No, no way."
"Why not?"
"You actually have to ask why not?"
"You like me? Go out with me?"
"But you're still with Theo, you're with the bad guys."
Lucas stepped into the locker room and Leonard moved to intercept him.
"Get out of my way, Leonard."
"Make the path to betrayal easier for you? He brought you back to life, gave you a second chance, but you just walked away from it all."
"You heard Theo. You guys wouldn't have been able to handle me."
"You didn't even give us a chance," Leonard growled closing the gap between them.
"Easy, your highness," Lucas said pushing Leonard back. "I have poisonous spikes, and you don't even like to fight. How do you think that will go?"
Corey and Mason started to kiss behind the other two. Leonard smirked at Lucas. "You should have paid more attention to what Charlie told you. I don't have to fight to win." Lucas glared at him as the other two broke their embrace. Lucas huffed and walked back out of the locker room when Mason pulled Corey in for a second kiss.
"We're gonna be okay. I know you probably don't believe it, but Theo is looking for the same thing," Corey told Mason.
"You mean the last chimera?"
"That's not what he's calling it."
"What is he calling it then?"
"The Beast."
"Charlie did you get that?"
"Yeah. I'll start looking into it."
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Melissa said as she came into the house carrying groceries. "Not in my house."
"Scott wanted me to keep an eye on you, make sure you're safe," Steve told her.
"And where is Scott?" she asked as she put the groceries on the counter.
"New Mexico with Stiles. They going to find Kira."
"Oh, of course," she sighed as she closed the door, "Thing is, I know a thing or two about the supernatural." She grabbed a jar and tossed the contents at the foot of the door, creating a solid line.
"Mountain ash won't keep out the chimeras."
"I know. But now you can't walk off while we are talking." Melissa returned to the kitchen and began putting away the groceries. "Mainly about why you won't leave my son and his pack alone."
"I'm trying to help."
"Really? This whole time?" she asked leaning over the counter.
"No, originally I came here just to observe. But then got involved when—"
"When you decided my son wasn't good enough?"
"When your son was putting people at risk," he snapped.
"You mean your pack?"
"Not just mine. His. The chimeras. Lives were on the line."
"But luckily you were there to save the day."
"No, I was just there."
"Observing?"
"Too late to do anything. Just there to pick up the pieces afterwards."
"Yeah, I bet your inaction kept your conscious pretty clean."
"My conscience isn't clean," Steve growled before taking a breath. "Would you have preferred if I attacked Scott to stop him?"
"Well, I heard ya did," she said straightening.
"I needed to ask Scott a question and didn't want Stiles to hear the answer. So, I needed to separate the two."
"You threw him."
"Fastest way to create some distance."
"I don't see how that's helpful."
"It wasn't. I was angry," the alpha shrugged. "I've been angry. I came here looking for the Scott McCall of legends, but instead found an alpha letting his pack go. I tried to do what I could to help the pack, but I was angry at Scott. All those stories seemed to be lies and my pack was going to die a horrible death because of it."
"You still think those stories are lies?" she asked. Steve shook his head. "What changed?"
"Hope," Steve stated. "I noticed it after Theo talked to Stiles. When Scott, as weak as he was from the night before was trying to do everything possible to save Stiles's dad, even things he knew he wasn't capable of doing. That's the Scott I came for. That's a true alpha."
Fiona continued to wander the halls. Every other cell was empty and covered in dust. They appeared to have been vacant for years. She heard a faint scream and a light explode. She turned around and went back down the hall. She stopped at another cell, one that was being used. She looked to the bed and found Lydia, staring at the ceiling.
Malia had run off and covered her scent when Jay tried to approach her. But, the werecheetah was eventually able to track her down to the animal clinic. He heard voices from behind the locked door.
"Yeah, I let Stiles kick my ass too," Theo said, "But he never broke any bones." Jay heard bones snapping back into place as he kicked the door in. "I can help you find them. Deaton and the Desert Wolf."
"How?" Malia asked him.
"The Dread Doctors. I know how they found everyone."
"Malia, you can't trust him!" Jay shouted as he ran into the back room.
"You again? Seriously?" she sighed as she released Theo and moved towards Jay.
"Good, now let's look into—" Jay started before Malia punched him in the face, knocking him out.
Leonard joined Liam in the library. The werelion decided to use the time to track down anything he could find on The Beast.
"I'm trying not to get involved," Liam said as Hayden sat next to him.
"Does that include me?"
"Maybe."
"I know how you look up to Scott. And how all of you feel about him. But he just can't protect us the way Theo can. My sister—"
"Your sister's a sheriff's deputy, and she looks like she can handle herself."
"Not if I'm dead. She's not gonna be able to handle that at all. I can't die again, Liam. Do you get it? It would ruin her."
"It would ruin me too," Liam said. The two paused before Hayden leaned in and started kissing him.
"Maybe he is James Bond," Leonard thought.
Scott and Kira walked through the door. Steve was sitting on the couch, Melissa had gone to sleep a while ago.
"Hey," Scott said as they walked in, "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, Beacon Hills survived while you were gone," Steve joked.
"Can I talk to you?" Scott asked. Steve nodded. "I'll be right back," he told Kira.
"What's up?"
"Stiles told me what happened that night with Donovan. And how you showed up afterwards," Scott whispered.
"Yeah, I was too late," admitted, looking at the ground.
"What were you going to do if you got there sooner."
"From the way things looked, I'd probably have to kill Donovan myself."
Scott raised his eyebrows. "Does your pack just kill any threat?"
"If their only goal is to harm others. If they lack control or are misguided we don't."
"Who makes that decision?"
"August or I usually do. We're the only two that kill.
"But what about your beta? His eyes are blue."
"He's not my beta, his name's Charlie."
"Sorry?" Scott added a little confused.
"Charlie only killed one person ever. He tracked down the guy who had abused us and killed him when he discovered that he was abusing another group before selling them to my former alpha, Blake."
"Oh," Scott paused, "I thought that the eyes only changed colors when you took an innocent life."
"It's a myth. The eyes change when you take any life."
"How do you know?"
"Do you know about wendigos?"
"I know they're cannibals. And they are turned into one when they eat the flesh of another person."
"Close, but a wendigo is only turned when they enjoy eating the flesh of another person," Steve paused, "There was a kid, his parents became wendigos. In order to prevent them from eating their son, they tricked him into eating human meat. They must have made it in a way he liked because, eventually, he turned. One night, I came across a van on the side of the road. The mother and daughter were left dead in the car, but the infant son had been taken. I followed the cries and found that kid eating the infant alive. I attacked and killed him, but was too late to save the baby. My eyes turned from yellow to blue that night."
Scott paused for a moment, looking at the ground. "But maybe he's technically innocent. His parents forced him to change, maybe he was more of a victim."
"You could argue that. He didn't choose to enjoy the taste of human flesh and didn't have control after he turned. But the old pack fought a lot of wendigos, one of them made Dahmer seem like a saint. One of the pack killed him, but her eyes still changed."
Scott paused to process the information. "When you say old pack, you mean Blake's right?" Scott asked after a moment.
"Yeah, everyone but Charlie would kill then."
"Why the change when you took over?"
"Mainly because the pack changed. Jay acts like fighting is a game," Steve chuckled, "Leonard doesn't like to cause physical pain, prefers using his words over his fists. Fiona deals with enough death so she doesn't want to cause more. And Charlie hates taking someone's life."
"So, you do it so the others don't have to?"
The smell of guilt filled Steve's nose. "This is about Donovan?"
"I think. . .I just wish that I was the one who had to kill Donovan. So that Stiles wouldn't have had to go through all of this," Scott said slowly.
"We can't stop something if we aren't there."
"I know, but I should be protecting everyone else. Doing it so that they don't have to, like you do."
"Had I known about what happened, I would have been the one to kill our abuser instead of Charlie. But I wasn't there. Charlie went through a rough patch afterwards. We helped him through it as a pack, showing him support and bringing him back to who he was before that night. Stiles didn't have that," Steve paused when Scott grimaced slightly. "Until now. You can be there for him now," Steve finished.
"Like you were there for him," Scott realized. "That's why he was able to trust you so quickly."
"It wasn't exactly quick," Steve mentioned.
Scott hugged Steve. Steve jerked back out of surprise. "Thank you," Scott sighed before releasing Steve and seeing his confusion. "For being there for Stiles while I was being an idiot."
"Scott?" Kira interrupted. The two turned and saw Liam and Mason standing there.
"What's wrong," he asked them.
"I found out something from Corey," Mason answered, "We know what Theo's doing."
"He's looking for an alpha. A blind alpha," Liam added.
"Deucalion," Scott and Steve said in unison staring at each other.