Chapter 26

Mason:

As soon as Theo hung up from his call he shut down. His phone clattered to the floor, and he fell to his knees. His breathing coming out in pants as he stared straight ahead. I heard about this from Liam. Theo tends to freeze when he gets overwhelmed but usually Liam is there to bring him back. I rushed to his side along with Hayden, who was fine now.

"Theo." I called, gripping his shoulders.

"He's gone." He kept saying over and over again.

"We'll get him back." I told him even as dread settled in my stomach.

The door opened with a bang, bringing in Derek, Braeden, and Peter, followed by Parrish and David.

"Theo." Derek crouched down in front of him. I moved over to give him room.

"Why didn't I go with him? Why wasn't I there? I should have been there?" Theo asked, with tears in his eyes. Derek grabbed him, pulling him up and into a hug.

Standing, I went to David, who looked pale as he looked around the room searching for Liam. I shook my head at him when he looked at me. He staggered back sitting heavily in a chair, dazed.

A loud roar made the windows tremble, and we all knew what that meant. The doors slammed open again and in walked Scott, bright red eyes looking around. Lydia rushed in with him, keeping one hand on him to make sure he didn't lose complete control. Stiles and Malia were right behind them.

"What happened?" Scott asked in a hard voice.

"They took him." Theo whispered. He was back in a daze staring straight ahead. I explained everything that had happened from our end then looked to Hayden who had backed away towards a bookshelf, looking wide eyed at Scott.

"Hayden, I promise no one will hurt you. But we need to know what happened leading up to you being knocked out." Scott told her, his eyes switching back to normal. She looked at me and I nodded.

"Liam and I were putting stuff away in the car. We were gonna head back inside, while I wait for my sister to pick me up. When we got to the building Liam kind of froze and then he turned around, but he pulled something from behind his back and kind of staggered. He told me to run and find Theo. He looked like he was going to be sick, and I didn't want to leave him. Then two men with guns and Gabe was there."

"Who's Gabe?" Parrish asked.

"He's my next-door neighbor's nephew. But he was there with the men. Liam told me to run and shielded me until I got inside. I ran downstairs and was calling for Theo when someone grabbed me and then… I don't know. I blacked out after that."

The door opened again and in walked Argent, Allison and Isaac holding a kid by the arm.

"Found him trying to escape through the woods behind the field. He has Liam's scent on him." Isaac explained. He shoved the kid in a seat.

"Who is he?" Stiles asked.

"That's Gabe." Hayden answered.

"You know him?" Stiles asked. She shook her head.

"I met him only once before, last week."

"How?"

"He was visiting my neighbor. I was sitting on my porch and he kind of just came over and started talking to me. He said he and his aunt were visiting his uncle. He tried to hold a conversation, but he was kind of weirding me out because he was asking questions about people I knew from school, like who did I talk to and who was in my classes." She said fidgeting and throwing glances at Gabe, who was glaring at her.

"You need to shut up." Gabe sneered at her. Isaac's grip on him tightened until he winced.

"And you need to remember where you are and who's around you." Isaac growled at him.

"Did he ask about or did you mention Liam or Theo?" Scott asked.

"No, I didn't mention anyone. After like, the fifth question about the students here I made the excuse to go in the house and I just locked myself in. I was looking out the blinds to see if he had gone away but he kind of just sat on my porch for a while until a woman came outside to talk to him and then he went back next door."

"Did you hear anything that was said?"

She shook her head.

"What did the woman look like?"

"Uh, she was pretty. I guess she was like in her twenties or something. Long dark blonde hair, blue eyes but for a like a minute they turned this really bright glowing green and then back to blue. She looked a little taller than me and she was thin. They talked for a minute out front, and she looked towards my house then they walked off and got into a black SUV." She finished with a shrug.

"Is this her?" Argent asked, holding out his phone for Hayden to see. She nodded.

"Kate?" Scott questioned. Argent sighed and nodded.

"Was she here? Did you scent her nearby?" Stiles asked.

"No, but if she was in a car or something I wouldn't have been able to catch her scent." He growled and approached Gabe and Isaac, who had not let go of him yet.

"What is your role in this?" Scott asked him. Gabe scoffed.

"You think I will actually tell you anything." he spat, laughing.

"Actually, I really didn't think you would volunteer anything. Luckily, I have other ways of getting the information I need." Scott said extending his claws. Gabe eyes widened and he tried to pull away from Isaac, with no success. Hayden squeaked and stared. I went over to reassure her.

"It's okay. He's not going to kill him." I told her.

"I don't understand what is going on." she gasped, staring around at everyone.

"I know. We will try to explain what we can later. But you're safe, I promise." I told her.

She nodded and grabbed my arm, clinging to me. There was a point where I hated this girl for what she put Liam through but right now she was just a scared girl that unfortunately got wrapped up in something she had no clue about.

We watched Scott stand behind him. Maybe it was wrong of me to take pleasure in the scream of pain he let out when Scott dug his claws into the back of his head, but I still felt it none the less.

"Wait," Stiles said turning to us. "Hayden, you said he was there visiting your neighbor, who he claims is his uncle. Who's your neighbor?"

"Mr. Benny. He's…" she turned to look at Parrish. "He's actually a cop. He works with you."

"He's a cop? And his name is Ben?"

She nodded.

"Is his last name Hardgrove?"

"I'm not sure. I just know him as Mr. Benny. He doesn't really talk much to anyone, and he is hardly ever home. I think last week was the first time I have seen anyone at his house." She shrugged.

A small gasp had us all looking at Lydia as her eyes lost focus. Allison and Malia went instantly to her side guiding her to another chair. She started to hyperventilate and tremble, lost in a vision. Peter took a seat across from her.

"Is she okay?" Hayden asked.

"She'll be fine." Allison assured her.

"Lydia, breathe. You are taking in too much information at once. Try to focus on one thing at a time." Peter soothed. I blinked and looked around at everyone. Only Derek and Braeden were unsurprised at his tone and the fact that he knew what to do. "Try focusing on just Liam. That should help slow down the flow of information."

We saw Lydia relax a bit as she continued to stare off into space. We all watched and waited, our gazes going between Scott and Lydia, wondering which one would pull out first and what information they would gain. Peter kept up a steady flow of instruction for Lydia which seemed to help her.

It was maybe ten minutes later that they both pulled out at the same time. Scott stumbled back and was caught by Isaac and Parrish. No one bothered to help Gabe, who slid from his chair onto the floor.

Scott made his way over to Lydia. "You okay?" he asked kneeling next to her. She nodded.

"Call him." she whispered. He nodded, kissing the side of her head. He didn't even ask who she was referring to just pulled out his phone and dialed, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey Brett, It's Scott." He greeted. We all looked at him confused about why he was calling him.

"Scott? Hey. What's Up? Everything okay?"

"No, not really. I got a question for you. Do you remember someone named Gabe?"

"Gabe, yeah. Was Corey able to get him out too?"

"Get him out?"

"Yeah, he was one of the other kids in the cages with us, until they moved them out."

"Did you tell him anything about your pack?"

"No. I mean I told him we have one and that they were worried sick but nothing else really. What's going on Scott, did he get out?"

"Yeah. Look I hate to tell you this. But Gabe wasn't a prisoner. He was with the hunters. He was planted in your room to see if he could get any information out of you about your pack." Scott explained with a sigh. The growl that was heard over the line was loud and vicious and from more than one source.

"Are you serious? What's going on Scott? Is Liam okay? Is Theo?" he asked in concern. It was nice to hear his concern. He was at odds with Liam for a while, first being rivals on the team even though they were on the same team and then for the incident with the coach's car. But I was glad to see they had put that behind them.

"No, Liam's been taken."

"No. Oh God. Okay, do you need our help?"

"I'm not sure. We are still getting information right now. Is Satomi nearby?"

"Yeah, she's here. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Actually, can you have her call Derek? I'm still putting pieces together." Scott said, turning to Derek who nodded.

"Yeah, of course. Talk soon."

"Yeah, sure." he said, and the call disconnected.

"What's going on Scott?" Argent asked. Everyone crowded around to listen.

"Gabe was a plant in the facility, which I now know where it is. They would put him and another kid in a room with new captures, usually other kids. They would pose as other captives and get the real captives to talk about their packs or families. It's how they were able to kidnap so many of them. Gabe and the other plant, Chase, are hunters in training. Capturing Liam was supposed to be Gabe's final initiation."

"That sounds like something Gerard would do. But I don't think he really expected this kid to do it."

"I don't think so either. But I do think he was sent here for a reason. They let him see where the facility was located and how to get in. They want us to go there."

"It's a trap." Lydia said. Scott nodded.

"We need to question Hardgrove." Scott said.

"Why?" Parrish asked.

"Because he's a hunter." Scott sighed.

"What?!" came several voices raised.

"Gerard planted him here back when Theo and Corey were first taken. He's been Kate's contact all this time. It's why Gerard has always been one step ahead of us since last year. He's been fed information through Kate from Hardgrove. It's also how Greenberg was able to get those bullets. When the stalking case was happening, Hardgrove let Kate know, who then supplied Greenberg with the bullets."

"Okay, so how are we doing this?" Parrish said.

"Scott. Satomi needs to talk to you." Derek said coming over, phone in hand.

"Scott, have you tried your connection yet?" a female voice said over Derek's phone.

"Yes, I have it open now. I can feel him but it's fading in and out. I don't know what that means."

"Is it a fuzzy or groggy feeling?"

"Yes."

"It means he's been drugged. I don't believe they will keep in town for long. They may already be almost out of range for you. Once that happens you will know instantly. I'm heading your way with my pack. We will be there in a few hours. We will help you search for him."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Scott sighed in relief.

"After what you all have done for a few of mine. It is no problem. See you soon." She said and disconnected.

"Lydia, what did you see?" Peter asked, gently. She looked at him and took a deep breath.

"They… they caught Corey." Lydia whispered and Theo shot up from his seat next to David, snapping out of his daze.

"What?"

"I saw that they were able to catch Corey. They have them both." She told him.

"No…no." he said shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, NO!" he screamed picking up a table and throwing it at a wall, shattering it. His eyes glowing bright gold as he curled his hands into fist, shaking. A soft chuckle sounded from nearby.

"Hope you said your goodbyes. They will both be dead before tomorrow." Gabe said. It was the dumbest thing to say in a room full of your enemies.

Theo frog jumped two tables and headed right for him but was caught by Peter and Derek. He's not a shifter but the growl he let out as he struggled to get to Gabe could rival any of them.

"If they die, you die. Do you hear me? I will kill you." He snarled, trying to break free.

"Theo, stop." Scott thundered. Theo stopped struggling, panting as he looked to Scott, his eyes switched back. "As much as I would love to join you in beating the shit out of him. We don't have time. We need to figure out how to find Liam and Corey."

"We can save them both." Lydia cut in loudly. Theo looked at her hopefully.

"The place you saw in Gabe's memory, was there a hidden door in one of the rocks?" she asked Scott and he nodded.

"That's where they are keeping Corey. Gerard and Simon think that's where Theo will head, and yes it is a trap. He has gained a lot of recruits since January. There are hunters all over that place. The room they are keeping Coery in is lined with mountain ash. Any shifter that goes in that room will not be able to get out. Whoever goes in that room cannot be a shifter. Scott you can't go there."

"But-."

"It can't be you, or Isaac or Malia in that room, no shifter at all. They have to be human or at least human adjacent. I have a feeling but… I need time to sort it out."

"And Liam?" David whispered, fear lacing his voice.

"I saw remnants of a town with just one standing building. It was tall with what looked like two turrets, like on a castle or church or something. Inside was broken benches and then I saw a… rocky tunnel or something that lead down to a large space that was filled with animal bones. At the back of it was a symbol of sorts on the wall. I need paper and a pencil. I can draw it." she said. Stiles hopped over the front desk and grabbed material from a drawer before heading back and shoving it at Lydia. She went to work quickly drawing something. She held it up once she was done.

"Wait, I know that symbol. I've seen it somewhere." I said, trying to remember where I had seen it and what it stood for.

"It's the Nagual jaguar god, Tezcatlipoca." Argent stated.

"Do you know where it is?" Allison asked.

"La Iglesias." I answered, remembering where I had seen that symbol. Everyone looked at me. "When I was researching berserkers and La Loba after our meeting when we got Stiles back, I remember seeing that symbol in a book and how that church, or at least underneath it, was home to the Nagual or jaguars, once upon a time. It's supposed to be sacred ground."

"What does that mean?" David asked.

"It means we don't have a lot of time." Argent said.

"You can't leave until tonight. You have to wait for Satomi's pack, and you may need more help. The facility is full of Gerard's recruits and the church is full of berserkers. You won't be able to get to them without help." Lydia said.

"I'll call the Calaveras to meet us at La Iglesias. More than likely that's where Kate will be." Argent said.

"So, we have to leave them there all day?" Theo asked.

"If you want to save them, yes. I don't like it any more than you do. But if you go now, not only could they die but so could some of you. You need help."

"Okay, so we wait for help. Satomi's pack will be here by nightfall. It gives us time to prepare." Scott said. "Parrish, is Hardgrove at work?"

"Yeah. What's the plan?"

"We need to get him somewhere secluded. He's not going to talk willingly. Which means I'm going to have to get the information the same way I did with Gabe." Scott said.

"Scott, if you do this twice in one day it will weaken you too much. You are going to need your strength. Besides. I don't think you want to be caught interrogating him. Even if he's a hunter he's also a cop. Let me do it. I will get the information and report back when we all meet." Peter said.

"But that would leave you exposed to him." Scott argued.

"Trust me, he will never see me. But I need to know how we are getting him and where."

"We can use my warehouse. It's secluded enough. I'll even go and watch his back. I'll stay hidden so I am not seen." Argent said.

"Okay, how are we getting him to the warehouse?" Isaac asked.

"I'll call my dad. See if he can send him out on a call to that location. Say some kids are vandalizing the place or something so he will go alone." Stiles offered.

"Okay, let's do that. Peter are you sure you want to do this?" Scott asked. Peter nodded. "Okay. We ne-." Scott stopped and gasped loudly stumbling back before growling. Lydia hopped up and rushed to him.

"Scott? What is it?"

He didn't say anything, but his eyes closed briefly. When they opened we knew he was in true alpha mode. There was a constant growl in his chest which made everyone, except Lydia, back up.

"What are you feeling, Scott?" Derek asked seriously.

"A burst of pain then nothing." Scott said, shakily.

"The connection broke. He's too far away, now." Peter explained.

"The first time feeling that is jarring." Derek went on to say.

Scott nodded once. His claws started to grow, and face started to shift until Lydia grabbed him, forcing him to look at her. The changes started to recede, but he was still not himself.

"Okay." Isaac said loudly, his eyes bright gold. "Lydia, you, and Allison get Scott out of here and back home. He can't do anything as long as he is feeling like this. He needs to get some rest so he he's good to go tonight." Isaac said in a commanding voice. It was kind of out of character for him but still the girls nodded and guided Scott out.

"Argent what is the address of the warehouse?" He asked him. Argent wrote it down. "Stile's call your dad, have him send Hardgrove out on the call. Peter, you, and Argent should get going so you make it there before him. Derek can you, Stiles and Malia meet with Satomi's pack and bring them to Lydia's house?"

"Yeah, we can do that." Derek agreed.

"Braeden, we are going to need weapons. Lots by the judge of it."

Who was this Isaac and where did he come from?

"Yep. I'm on it." she nodded.

"Parrish, is there any way you can hold on to him until Hardgrove is out of the station? We don't want him to see Gabe. He would know something is up."

"Yep, I got him." Parrish said, marching over to Gabe and yanking him up by the arm. "And I will take care of call in what happened here."

"I'll talk to Melissa and let her know what is going on. I hope not but we might need medical attention for them or any other's that we find in that facility." Isaac said.

"Mason and Theo head back to Liam's with Doc. Doc, get a medical bag together. Any supplies you can think of to bring, bring it. Mason, try to keep Theo calm. Meet us at Lydia's for the meeting."

"But-." Theo started.

"I know, you want to do something. But right now, you need to not do anything. Not until we are all together and can come up with a plan of how we are going to do this. Right now, you need to go back to Doc's place and try to calm down. Liam and Corey both are going to need you level headed and thinking clearly, okay?"

Theo nodded reluctantly.

"Hayden, I'm going to take you home and make sure you're safe and then I'm going to visit Hardgrove's place and see if I can find anything." he said, Hayden nodded. "Everybody good on what needs to be done?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, let's do this. The sooner we get started the sooner we can get to Liam and Corey."