I do not own Teen Wolf

Chapter Ten

"She ate the liver?" Scott asked.

"No," River groaned.

"I didn't say she ate it. I just said it was missing. And you know what? Even if she did, so what? It's the most nutritious part of the body," Stiles defended.

"I never ate anyone's liver," Scott answered back.

"Yeah, right, because when it comes to werewolves, you're a real model of self-control," Stiles went to continue when River spoke up.

"She isn't a werewolf," she insisted. "I already told you that. She's a witch, fairy, or a banshee. Why are neither of you listening to me?"

Jackson threw a dollar at a homeless man before turning and wrapping an arm around River as she passed.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"They aren't listening to me," she complained.

"Do they ever listen to someone who's smarter than them?" Jackson asked.

"I couldn't find her with a spell. I texted Derek this morning and he promised to go looking for her today. They're taking volunteers for search parties tonight as well."

"We'll find our girl," Jackson promised.

In Chemistry, River was biting her tongue as Harris threatened to give Stiles detention for the rest of high school.

"Can you do that?" Stiles asked curiously.

River groaned.

"Well, there it is again. Your voice. Triggering the only impulse I've ever had to strike a student repeatedly and violently."

River couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you threatening a student?" she asked loudly. "The sheriff's son, at that? The same student with documented ADHD that you keep using against him, as if his disease is his fault? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's discrimination."

"Quiet, Miss Stilinski," Harris demanded, glaring at her.

"No, it is discrimination," Jackson spoke up. "Also, it definitely sounded like a threat to me. Should we call your dad, Stiles?"

River smirked as Harris paled.

"You're all dismissed," he stuttered out before gathering the last bit of authority he had. "Go!"

Everyone walked out of the class, Jackson making sure to stand beside Stiles and smirk at Harris as they all headed out.

"Nicely done," River smiled to him.

"Thanks," he smirked. "I'm working on my social skills."

River let out a small giggle as they stepped outside, sitting on the bleachers together. River shivered and Stiles and Jackson both moved closer from each side of her, letting her leech off of their body heat. Scott smiled at them and then ran off in search of Allison so he could kiss her goodbye before she had to head to Kate's funeral. River had so many negative thoughts about that, but she held her tongue.

Stiles asked River if she wanted to sneak to the funeral with them after a text from Scott came through.

"I would rather pluck out my own eyeballs and deal with Peter blind," River smiled sweetly. "I'll wait in the Jeep for when you both end up getting caught by dad though."

"Such a vivid picture. Thank you," Stiles nodded.

"Anytime," she smiled. "Let's go so dad can ground us."

"I'll get your assignments," Jackson promised as he headed into the school.

"Thank you!" River called back as she followed Stiles to the Jeep where Scott was waiting already.

Once parked near the funeral sight, River felt her chest tighten. She stared out at the graveyard that Mr. Lahey owned, the one Isaac worked at, and felt an ache in her chest at the thought of Isaac. She thought after everything that had happened with Peter, everything that happened with Isaac wouldn't feel as bad anymore.

Noah knocked on the window and River smirked, pointing to where Scott and Stiles were hiding behind a large gravestone. He sighed and rubbed his face before grabbing both boys by their collars and making Stiles pick up his fallen tie. River watched as Noah threw them both into the back of his cruiser and climb into the driver's seat.

As stealthy as she could be, she snuck towards the cruiser and opened the backdoor just in time to here an officer call in a 4-1-5 Adam over the radio and catch the road the car disturbance had happened on. Stiles and Scott climbed out of the car and all three ran for the Jeep, hoping in and driving away before Noah realized that they were gone.

"What the hell is Lydia doing?" Stiles asked as they drove, taking the backroads towards route five.

"I don't know," Scott admitted.

"What kept you from doing that, was it Allison?"

"I hope so."

"She isn't turning," River insisted.

"She could be," Scott stated.

"Maybe that's why your bond is numb," Stiles suggested.

"All the research we did says she can only be one of three things," River explained. "We've been practicing certain magics to figure out what each of us is. I'm a witch, but we haven't figured out exactly what Lydia is, but the things we have narrowed down are all immune to the bite."

"We should walk from here," Stiles sighed.

They pulled the Jeep over and Scott separated from them. River and Stiles got to the scene, running to find Noah and make sure he was okay after seeing all the blood from a distance. Once they reached him and he complained about their activities, River felt the bond snap back, warmth growing in her chest as she felt Lydia pulling on her. She turned and saw Lydia stepping out of the trees, completely naked and probably freezing.

River ran forward, pulling her jacket off and tossing it over Lydia's shoulders before taking off her plaid and wrapping it around Lydia's waist in a makeshift skirt. Noah and Stiles ran over. Once Lydia was in the back of Noah's cruiser and heading back to the hospital, River and Stiles were escorted back to the Jeep and then home. River called Jackson to let him know that Lydia was back at the hospital as Stiles sent Scott a text.

"Scott says Gerald Argent, Allison's grandfather, had declared war on any werewolf he finds because of Kate," he sighed, laying next to her in bed.

"Joy," River sighed. "Grandpa of the year hunting down his granddaughters boyfriend."

"Do you think it's just going to be like this from now on? One big bad after the other?"

"I hope not," River's voice was a whisper now. "I would like some peace and quiet eventually."

"That sounds nice," Stiles nodded, eyes closed as he pulled River to his chest and fell asleep.

River kissed his cheek before getting comfortable and falling asleep. With Noah working so many night shifts, River and Stiles had been camping out in each other's rooms, always feeling safer when they were together rather than apart. River fell asleep eventually, sleep evading her as she worried about Lydia possibly having hypothermia.

The morning that Lydia was set to come back to school, she had avoided River. River might not even have noticed if it hadn't been so damn obvious. In class, Lydia waited until the last second to come in and bullied someone into moving so she could have the seat furthest from River. In the hall, if Lydia saw River coming, she would turn and walk the other way.

"What the fuck?" River asked once she finally got to Lydia.

"What?" Lydia asked. "You're being clingy and needy again."

"No," River shook her head. "Don't do that. Tell me what's going on."

"River, I have better things to do, so I'm going to make this clear. We aren't friends anymore."

"What?" River asked confused.

"We aren't friends. I don't want anything to do with you. Isaac had the right idea."

"Lyds," River whispered. "What happened?"

Lydia rolled her eyes before speaking again.

"God, you're stupider than I thought. Do you honestly think I wasn't just using you? I used you to get information. I used you for an image. I used you to get magic. I don't need you anymore. We're done, and I hope this breaks the bond when I say it again, we aren't sisters. Leave me alone."

River did feel the bond break then and judging by the way Lydia grabbed her chest and gasped in pain, she felt it to.

River ran then, running out of the school and ignoring everyone she passed. She just ran, not stopping until she was outside the abandoned railway depot that she and Stiles would frequent. She sat down in the empty parking lot, rubbing at her chest and trying to make the pain and tears stop.

"What are you doing here?" Derek's voice made her jump.

She turned and found Derek standing with Isaac. She frowned at the sight of them together before standing.

"What's Isaac doing here?" River questioned.

"He's part of my pack," Derek responded. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," River shook her head, not wanting to talk in front of Isaac. Wait. Isaac. "What do you mean by part of your pack exactly?"

"I bit him," Derek admitted. "I'm getting his dad to sign over his parental rights."

"So, him you trust?" River asked Isaac, feeling like this was just the shit icing on the shit cake she was being served. "A complete stranger over your best friend? Seriously?"

"I was weak before," Isaac admitted. "I'm strong now. We can be friends again."

"After everything you said to me and how you treated me? No, thanks. I'm good."

"Stiles is almost here," Derek told her, rolling his eyes at the teen drama.

"Are you just going to go around biting random kids now? If that was your plan, why didn't you just bite Jackson?"

"He needs to work on his social skills," Derek shrugged.

"Oh, because Isaac is a shining star in that department?" River laughed as Stiles pulled up and jumped out of the Jeep. "Who else are you going to bite?"

"It isn't any of your business," Derek shrugged before turning away. "Let's go, Isaac."

River shook her head before heading to the Jeep and climbing in, Stiles right behind her.

"So, Isaac's a wolf now?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah," River sighed. "Derek is taking guardianship of him."

"Seriously?" Stiles asked. "Where are they going to live? The burnt down house?"

"An abandoned train cart, I think?" River sighed.

"Good place to raise an abused kid," Stiles scoffed.

"He isn't raising him. He's training him," River argued. "Just what Isaac needs. Another adult figure beating him up for fun."

"Breath, okay?" Stiles requested.

"I hadn't even realized he hadn't been in school until I saw him," River admitted.

"We need to get back to school," Stiles sighed. "Want to tell me what happened?"

"Lydia broke our bond," she said almost too quietly for Stiles to hear. "She said she's been using me for her image and then she was using me for information, and finally she used me for magic and now she's done with me."

"What the fuck?" Stiles asked angrily.

"Yeah," River groaned. "Good to know I have no real friends."

"Hey!" Stiles yelled. "I'm right here! In fact, I'm also offended for Scott and a little bit for Jackson."

"Jackson?" River asked with a smirk before her face crumbled again. "Do you think he was using me, too?"

"No," Stiles shook his head. "I don't think Lydia was, either. I think something happened while she was running naked through the woods and she's trying to protect you by pushing you away. We need to figure out what happened."

River sighed as they pulled up to the school as lunch was ending.

"At least we only missed Harris' class," Stiles offered.

River smiled at that as she got out of the Jeep.

"Thanks for finding me," she said as she took Stiles' hand.

"Anytime," Stiles smiled as they entered the school. "By the way, we have a new principal."

"Who?" River asked curiously.

"Grandpa of the year," Stiles repeated the name from the other night.

They passed by Lydia, Stiles distracting her so she wouldn't notice. Stiles did notice the look of longing that Lydia threw River's way, solidifying his hypothesis in his head. In econ, Lydia wrote 'Help Me,' 'Someone Help,' and 'River Help' over and over on the board backwards. River felt a chill run down her spine as Lydia ran out of the room and Stiles showed her the picture turned around so the words were legible. She wanted to run after her but remembered the pain of the bond breaking and stayed in her seat.

The next day River took Erica's spot climbing the wall, knowing Erica was afraid of heights. She raced Stiles to the top, beating him by five seconds before letting herself fall back to the floor, Stiles following behind. She got changed with the other girls and noticed that Erica was missing. She went back into the gym and opened the door just in time to see a seizure starting.

River caught Erica before she hit the ground, causing Erica to land on her hard. Scott and the rest of the class ran in as River turned Erica to her side and held her gently. River had tears streaming down her face as Stiles called for an ambulance and coach told everyone to back up. She ran her fingers through Erica's hair as the seizure slowed and the paramedics arrived. She didn't want to let Erica go but knew that the paramedics would take care of her. At lunch, River was worrying about Erica and reminding herself that Erica had dumped her as a friend at the same time. River even debated going to Boyd to ask if he had heard anything but her thoughts were interrupted by the cafeteria doors banging open.

River's mouth dropped as Erica walked in. She was in a leather jacket and short leather skirt, a plain white shirt that dipped down and showed her cleavage under the jacket. Her heels clicked as she walked. She stopped at a table, stole an apple from someone and took a bite out of it before winking at someone else and walking out. River was up and moving at the same time as Scott and Stiles. They reached the doors and spotted Erica climbing into Derek's car.

"Shit," River whispered as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm going home. I am done with today."

"Fair," Stiles nodded. "I'll drive. Coming, Scotty?"

"Yeah," Scott sighed.

The three piled into the Jeep, River staying up front between the two boys as Stiles drove. Once at the house, they went to Stiles' room and Scott smelt the air, a strange expression on his face.

"Why does it smell like you haven't slept in here in a while?" Scott asked curiously.

"I haven't," Stiles admitted. "I've been staying in River's room with her."

"Oh," Scott nodded like it was nothing. "So, what is Derek doing?"

"First Isaac, now Erica," Stiles sighed, sitting at his desk as River laid across his bed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he goes after Boyd next," River admitted. "Am I the reason he's targeting them?"

"I think he was attracted to them for the same reasons you were," Stiles stated. "They're lonely, their home lives aren't the best. Easy targets."

"He can manipulate them easier," River nodded. "How do we stop him? He can't just bite every kid he thinks is lonely. Especially not with Gerald cutting down any werewolf he sees."

"Maybe that's why he's biting them," Stiles shrugged. "He wants an army against Gerald."

"He's turning them into pawns," River whispered. "He's going to get them killed."

"What do we do?" Scott asked.

"I don't know," River whispered. "Try to keep him away from Boyd?"

"We don't know for sure that he'll go for him," Stiles stated.

"Well, we know where they're staying," River shrugged. "We can go find out."

"You want to walk into the literal wolf den?" Stiles asked as he came over to his bed and laid down half on top of her.

"I don't think any of them would hurt me," River shrugged.

"You thought Lydia wouldn't hurt you either, but that was proven wrong."

"Something happened to her that she isn't telling us," River argued. "We need to figure it out and protect Boyd from Derek."

"Guys?" Scott asked.

"Yeah?" they both asked, looking towards him.

"Derek's outside," Scott was staring outside the window.

"Let's go," River sighed.

Stiles stood and pulled River to her feet. The three walked down the stairs and went to the porch, staring at Derek as he stood in the road.

"Are you going to come over here so we can talk?" River asked. "Or are you going to give Mrs. Anderson more reasons to waste my dad's time?"

Derek rolled his eyes, his grumpy face in place as he walked forward. Once he was at the bottom of the steps, he stared directly at River.

"Be in my pack."