Chapter 25
Scott sagged against the chains that held him in a basement room of Eichen House. Panting he willed his body to heal, but the torture, kept light enough not to kill him, continued at a pace that would not allow it. Gritting his teeth against another wave of electrical currents, he refused to howl. He wondered how long he'd been here, wondered if his friends were safe. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. They were safe from him at least. His thoughts ran from Stiles to Derek to his mom. He hoped he'd be able to see them again. He didn't know what the Dread Doctors wanted from him, but the Berserker skull he could see out of the corner of his eye didn't bode well for him.
. . .
Liam lay back in his bed. He hadn't seen Scott in a while, and he was worried. Flinching at the thought of his alpha, the one who had saved his life, the one who had brought him into this new world, he blinked back tears.
A message beeped on his phone, and he glanced at it before throwing the phone away from him. Covering his face with his hands, he shuddered. He didn't know if he could do this.
"What do you want," Liam asked, stepping into the clearing where Theo was waiting.
Theo smirked and Liam wanted to punch him. "It's not what I want, Liam. It's what you want."
Liam rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest. "What is it that I want then?"
"To be alpha."
Theo said it so simply, that Liam just blinked. The desire that burned in his chest at the thought of being an alpha wasn't new, but the strength of it now was.
"And how would that happen," Liam asked, frustrated. "Scott's the alpha."
"Not if you kill him," Theo said, still smirking.
Liam growled. "I can't kill Scott. He's the True Alpha."
Theo's smirk changed to an understanding smile. "I know he's strong, but he's not so strong that he's unbeatable. You could be alpha. Beacon Hills' alpha."
Liam growled again, but this time it was more a reflex than anything. The thought was more appealing than it should have been, more appealing than he wanted Theo to know. Looking at the other teen, though, he knew that Theo knew already.
Liam began to pace. His agitation rose and he lost control of his wolf, shifting, growling as he paced. Theo stood silent, waiting for Liam to come to a decision and make a move, even if that move was to try to kill him.
Finally, after several minutes, Liam stopped. Turning to look over his shoulder, eyes glowing in the moonlight, he smiled, fangs bared. "What's in this for you?"
"Besides Scott being out of my way?"
"So you can kill a lesser alpha, you mean?"
Theo shook his head. "I'm already an alpha of a pack. I just don't have the eyes yet. I need Scott out of my way, and I'm willing to help you become alpha because it will benefit me. Don't mistake this as a freebie."
Liam turned his back once more, disgusted that he was entertaining the idea. But he was entertaining the idea, and it was so appealing he could almost taste it. Stiles, Lydia, and Malia were no longer in Scott's pack. It was just him. Just the one lone beta left. And Scott had started turning his aggression on Liam now that Stiles wasn't around. To be honest, part of Liam had hated Scott from the moment he'd turned him, whatever his reasons. He chafed at having to follow the alpha's orders, chafed at not having a life that was completely his own anymore. That chafing had worn him down, and he'd thought about killing the alpha, about taking his spark, more than he should.
That, more than Theo's words or anything he could have promised, made up Liam's mind.
"Okay," he said. "I'll kill Scott. But you have to help me get there."
Theo had been training Liam in secret, teaching him moves he'd never have learned with Scott, or even come up with on his own. He felt prepared to kill his alpha, but, like tonight, he had moments of doubt, moments where he second-guessed everything. Turning his face into his pillow, Liam let out a silent scream. In moments like this, he didn't want to kill Scott, but he wanted to be alpha so bad he couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't know what he would do when the chance came, and that thought scared him more than anything.
. . .
The pack was sitting around Peter and Phoebe's apartment once more, this time talking about their mate bond and what it would mean for the pack. After assurances that nothing would really change except the way the pack would be able to feel Phoebe, and the added strength that flowed between Peter and Phoebe, the pack had settled in, reveling in Stiles' retelling of how he'd been unlucky enough to feel the bond snapping into place. This had caused Lydia and Malia to laugh, and Phoebe to blush.
Soon after, Stiles' phone rang, and he answered it to find his dad on the other line.
"Hey, Pops. What's up?"
"Hey, Stiles. I know you two aren't really getting along right now, but have you seen Scott? Melissa's here at the house, and she says she hasn't seen him in a few days."
"Uh, no. I haven't seen him." Stiles held the phone away from his ear. "Has anyone seen Scott lately? Dad says he's been missing for a few days."
Everyone shook their heads. Stiles relayed the information, and Phoebe stood up from where she'd been curled into Peter's side. Walking to her former bedroom, she gathered some herbs and a bowl and returned to the kitchen. She ran some water from the sink into the bowl before returning to the living room.
Stiles hung up the phone after assuring his dad that they'd let him know if they saw Scott. "So, what's the plan," Stiles asked, looking at Peter.
Peter shook his head. "Ask Phoebe."
His new mate smiled at him. "I'm just going to scry to see where he is. What we do after that is up to you."
Peter tilted his head toward Stiles. "What do you think we should do?"
"I think we should find him," Stiles replied without hesitation. "If we can save him, we should. That's what we decided," he reminded Peter.
Peter nodded before glancing at the rest of his pack. "I am amenable to that plan if everyone else is." He relaxed back into the couch. There was nothing Scott could do now to take his power away from him.
Lydia and Malia glanced at each other then Stiles before agreeing. Phoebe began her ritual, crushing herbs into the bowl of water and chanting a spell. Soon, the herbs caught fire and the smoke formed a picture in the water.
"He's at Eichen House."