Chapter 71
"Let go of our alpha. Now."
Stiles was staring utterly breathless, shocked and unsure if he was really seeing what he was seeing. His eyes moved from one to the other-Jackson, Erica and Boyd. The twins behind them stoically leaned against the doorway. That wasn't what knocked him in the face almost telepathically though.
That voice. The strength and authority in it rattled every single one of them.
Isaac turned abruptly and his stony fingers released Cora mostly because he couldn't believe his eyes. It couldn't be…
Cora collapsed to the ground. She rubbed her arms. They were surely bruised from the tight and careless grip of the former friend. She sucked in a sob filled breath.
Scott let go of Derek, mostly from disbelief of who stood before him, not the order he was given. Derek fell over and landed on his side unconscious. A small puddle of blood grew under him.
"No," Isaac said.
The word echoed with heartache.
"No," he said again, but with more firmness.
"You're dead," Scott was too stunned to manage much else.
Isaac shook his head. The sudden rush of blood pumping through his heart at an unimaginable speed…he clenched his fist, wondering if he was having a heart attack. His head throbbed, making his eyesight pulse in sync too.
"Melanie?" Stiles asked.
He stepped past Allison whose weapons clinked, dropping to the floor. He stopped quickly. Her eyes glowed vibrantly blue, threatening each of them. She had killed before. Everything about her was so different, but it unmistakably her. Her hair was longer, darker and silkier. It fell down well past her shoulders. The tips rested over her arms and at mid-ribcage.
No glasses. The classic black leather jacket-a signal of the Hale pack, clung to her hourglass features just like her skinny jeans did to her long legs. Her muscles were tensed for a fight, though she knew she'd already won with just her presence. He could see it in her feral eyes. It was her. Melanie.
"It-it's really you," he voice cracked.
Melanie stared, cold and dead at them-the enemy. She wasn't alone. Jackson and Erica stood just as dauntless at each side. Ethan, Aiden and Boyd were further back.
Melanie turned her head just a little, looking down and gave a nod. Jackson, Erica and Boyd walked past her at a graceful speed. They remained silent. Erica and Jackson each grabbed one of Derek's arms and lifted him. Boyd tended to Cora. She could walk but her ankle had been broken in the midst of trying to get past Isaac, so Boyd had to help her.
They walked out of the loft. Aiden and Ethan stayed behind Melanie. She nodded again and they left as well, not questioning her orders. She looked at each of them. There was no smile-"I'm happy to see you.". No reunion of old friends or telling them about her great survival. She was filled with shame and disgust, not of herself, but of them.
She turned and walked away. Her steps were noiseless.
"Melanie?" Isaac croaked.
Melanie paused but kept her back to him. She didn't look back. When he said nothing more, she left.
"Mel!" Stiles hollered.
He looked at Scott, shaking his head bewildered and then ran out of the loft after her.
Allison's eyes glimmered. The overwhelming feeling left each of them lost. Scott glanced over at Isaac.
Isaac stared out the open door blankly. Scott could hear his ragged breathing. Isaac fell to his knees. The pain of landing on the concrete shot up through his body. It wasn't enough to shake him from the new state of numbness that overwhelmed him.
The cracks in his heart didn't heal like they should've at the sight of her. They burned at seeing how much she hated them. His stomach lurched. He wanted to puke. He spun on his knees and did just that.