Chapter 16

Slowly Thomas' eyes opened but he needed to squeeze the eye-lids shut few times to recover his blurry sight. First thing he saw was the white ceiling above him when his vison cleared. Confusion struck him as he didn't remember ever seeing such ceiling.

- 'Hey, you are finally awake.' Vaguely familiar voice spoke. Thomas turned his head in the direction the voice was coming and saw Lydia Martin sitting on chair to his right.

- 'How long was I out?' It all struck him at once as he remembered what had happened and he had his suspicions he was now laying in hospital bed due to recent events. By some degree of miracle, he was alive. Last thing he remembered was Scott's terrified face as Thomas was slipping in unconsciousness.

- 'You were on and off for a week or so.' Lydia said. Thomas slightly frowned.

- 'What do you mean by on and off exactly?' He asked.

- 'You mean, you don't remember the fits of pain?' Lydia asked warily. Thomas frowned even more. He didn't remember anything after the battle, or rather kidnapping. He checked the scar on his hand, exactly where Scott had bitten him. Was he undergoing transformation while he was at the hospital? 'No, it hasn't been full moon yet but it will be, soon.' Lydia said, as if she could read Thomas' mind. So if that wasn't the case, what was it then? Thomas tried to recall anything that would incline as to what happened afterwards but all he drew was blank.

- 'I don't know.' Thomas said but something did come to his mind. He gasped.

- 'What?' Lydia asked, slightly worried.

- 'That's what you meant, didn't you?' Thomas looked at Lydia, recalling the first words she spoke to him when he had come to Beacon Hills. If he hadn't been bitten, he would be dead.

- 'What do you mean?' It was time for Lydia to be confused.

- 'The words you spoke to me. If I kept walking down the path I was, I'd be dead. If I kept shoving the doors closed on Scott and the rest of you, Nogitsune would've killed me and there would be no one to save me.' Thomas said. Lydia opened her mouth as if to say something but she closed it, unable to say anything.

- 'Perceptive, even though even I at the time didn't know what I meant by that because all of those words come and go.' Lydia said. Thomas nodded and looked up at ceiling once again. He did feel part of him was dying but there was something waiting on wings to take the part in empty spot. He still felt sure if they hadn't come to Beacon Hills, none of this would have ever happened but the wheels of fate were turning and there was nothing to stop them.

- 'How long until full moon?' Thomas asked. He didn't know exactly what Lydia meant about pain and full moon but he did have a feeling it was strictly connected with his transformation into something. Being werewolf would be the easy answer but he knew from conversations and the long e-mails from Allison that these things went wrong as often as there were new werewolves born. So it was a 50/50 chance for Thomas nevertheless.

- 'Full moon will be in 6 days. Scott is out there looking for a place for you to undergo transformation.' Lydia said. Thomas nodded. So it is dangerous to others. Only one conclusion to be drawn here – I won't be in control.

- 'I see.' Thomas said and heard voices drawing closer and closer to his hospital room. Surely enough moments later doors opened and he saw his mother standing in them and Chris right on her heels.

- 'Talk. Now.' She ordered. Thomas looked upon her with all the hate in world behind his eyes. Lydia excused herself out of the room and left it, fishing phone out her pocket and texting someone. Thomas had a suspicion he knew who was about to receive the text but he had his own worries right now.

Scott paced back and forth, waiting for Derek Hale to show up. His phone buzzed in his pocket but he ignored it for now. He would check it after he had spoken to Derek.

- 'Scott McCall is expanding his pack, so I see.' Derek was suddenly standing in the doorway with his arms crossed across the chest and resting his shoulder against the frame, leaning.

- 'I had no choice.' Scott said, running his hand through hair.

- 'You could let Thomas die.' Derek said.

- 'Are you serious right now? He is Allison's cousin!' Scott said.

- 'Which makes him also a hunter. You know Silveret's are hunters, right?' Derek poked finger in Scott's chest.

- 'I know.' Scott said.

- 'And thanks to your bright idea, they will probably come after us now, guns blazing.' Derek said, his anger slowly seething through his words, yet he was calm. That always brought chills down Scott's spine.

- 'If I had let him die what makes you think they wouldn't go on killing spree nevertheless?' Scott felt his voice rising, yet he was trying to keep it in check.

- 'Point taken but why Nogitsune and why him?' Derek asked.

- 'I don't know. I really have no idea.' Scott frowned, taking deep breaths. He wanted to know that himself. They didn't have a puzzle piece or at couple of them to see the picture but somehow Thomas did tie in it all for him to show up in Beacon Hills was nothing out of random. In due years he learned nothing was random; everything was connected, one way or another.

- 'MCCALL!' A voice bellowed from outside Scott's house. Scott and Derek both froze and looked at each other for a split second before realizing it was Jonathan – Scott's and Thomas' classmate and also Beta from different werewolf pack in town.

As soon as Scott stepped out in wide open backyard of his place, Jonathan lunged at Scott without warning, in werewolf form and his claws out. Scott barely managed to dodge out of the way but Jonathan had recovered and already lunging for Scott the second time, this time hitting him and flying himself and Scott in nearby tree.

- 'Scott!' Derek rushed to Scott's aid but Scott didn't let Derek intervene. He shook his head while trying to get out of Jonathan's way.

- 'WHAT DID YOU DO YOU STUPID ALPHA?' Jonathan roared went for Scott's face but Scott dodged out of his way and went full-werewolf himself with his red eyes blazing.

- 'I had no choice! How did you-' But before Scott could finish Jonathan had rammed in him once again and slashing at Scott. Scott managed to block most of his slashes but some did get in his flesh, making him bleed.

- 'WHY HIM? YOU COULDN'T STOP YOUR DROOL, COULDN'T YOU, HUH? YOU JUST HAD TO SINK YOUR TEETH-' But Derek wasn't standing idle anymore and changed in werewolf form himself and dragged him off from Scott, towards forest. Scott followed – they were afraid this might draw attention to the wrong crowd and Scott helped to shove Jonathan deeper in the forest, him howling.

- 'I really had no choice. He-' but Jonathan had broken free and lunging at Scott yet again. Derek recovered not a second too soon and managed to catch Jonathan by his arm and dragging him back, making his arm crack and him howling in pain – Derek had dislocated Jonathan's shoulder.

- 'JONATHAN, STOP!' Scott let out his alpha howl and even though Jonathan was not in his pack, he reeled backwards, the howl sending chill down his spine and slowly changing back in human form. He grit his teeth as he set his dislocated shoulder in place for it to heal correctly. 'Thomas was dying, Jonathan. Nogitsune got to him and-' Scott had changed in human form to speak too but Jonathan stopped him by rising hand in front of him. He gasped for breath.

- 'I know a place where he can undergo transformation, and hopefully gain control at the same night. Don't count your dogs yet, McCall – he gets to choose; join you, or the pack I am part of.' Jonathan said slowly, his eyes blazing yellow, yet he was now keeping his calm.

- 'And what if he doesn't become werewolf? Will you just toss him aside as a junk? You as well as I know your alpha accepts only werewolves in the pack. ' Derek spoke. Scott looked at Derek and then Jonathan. Jonathan hung his head.

- 'Is this true?' Scott whispered, reaching for Jonathan but Jonathan quickly beat the reaching hand off.

- 'I will think of something.' Jonathan gasped out.

- 'But-' Scott began.

- 'SHUT UP MCCALL! YOU BETTER THINK OF YOUR OWN SKIN RATHER THAN MY PROBLEMS!' Jonathan bellowed and broke in run, hoping his tears would come rolling only when he was out of Scott's and Derek's sights.