The Hale Pack

by Missmusiclover573

What if Scott and Stiles hadn't separated that night in the woods? What if both boys had been bitten? Would things have played out differently? Or end in the same amount of loss and pain? *Eventual Sterek*

35. Control

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.

A/N: The fox is in control.

The Hale Pack: Control

"We noticed," Jackson replied. "You think you can use this to get her mum to tell us the truth?"

"I can try."

Mr Yukimura was alone in his classroom on a Saturday, getting ready for the week ahead, when he was overcome with the sensation that he was being watched.

He noticed a fly on his desk, just crawling around. Sure, it could be a regular fly, but his wife's warnings coupled with his uneasy feeling had the teacher reaching for a hardback book. He placed said book on top of the fly without blinking.

"Coming in on a Saturday," A familiar voice called out, and Ken looked up to see 'Stiles' standing by the door. He knew it wasn't really Stiles thanks to Noshiko's warning, so he kept his guard up as the possessed teen slowly made his way into the room. "That's dedication. Where's she hiding them?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Mr Yukimura replied calmly. It was a complete lie, but he sold it well.

"Little knives." The Nogitsune prompted as it pulled a book off the shelf and onto the floor. "Daggers." He added as he looked over Stiles' shoulder at the man. He knew that the teacher knew exactly what he was after, he was simply giving him the chance to do the smart thing and come clean. "I know what they are. Physical representation of her tails." He continued as he thumbed through a random book. Then he gave up and tossed that book to the ground too. "However the hell that works."

The Nogitsune then gave up on checking books and turned his full attention to Ken Yukimura.

"Maybe you'd like to do some reading on it," The teacher tried as the Nogitsune approached. "I can direct you to the section on Japanese myth in the library."

"No." The Nogitsune refused calmly. "No, I'd like to talk to you." It declared as it danced its new fingers along the desk. It was nice to be able to use this body's fingers, when the last ones were all bandaged up and limited. "The older the tail, the stronger the Oni. Am I right?" He asked while growing ever closer to the man. "I know there's one left. I know it's the strongest."

"Unfortunately, I don't know what you're referring to." Mr Yukimura lied again. Well, the Nogitsune tried doing it the nice way.

"You'll talk," The Nogitsune warned the teacher before lifting the book. The fly trapped underneath flew free and straight into Mr Yukimura's open mouth. The man dropped to his knees as he choked on the fly. "They always talk."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott was showing the picture and getting Kira caught up on everything that happened at Eichen house when Kira got a text from her mom about her dad. They grabbed the items she was told to grab, then raced to the school.

After giving Ken the cure, and Kira made a comment about magic mushrooms, Scott couldn't help but ask, "Stiles did this?"

"He wanted the last kaiken," Noshiko informed him as she pulled it out to show him. "I've kept this near me ever since your friend disappeared."

Scott didn't like the way she said 'friend' like there was nothing left of Stiles. It wasn't too late, they could still save Stiles. However, he didn't get the chance to say any of that because Kira spoke up before he could even open his mouth.

"Mum, you need to talk to us about everything." Kira demanded. Noshiko nodded, knowing it was time.

Scott took that as his cue to pull out the picture and showed it to the woman. She quickly took it from him to get a better look.

"Where did you get this?" Noshiko demanded without taking her eyes off of the image, memories rushing through her mind.

"Is it grandma?" Kira asked.

"No." Noshiko corrected. "It's me."

"If that's you, then you'd have to be, like, 90 years old." Scott pointed out.

"Closer to nine hundred." Noshiko corrected while looking to her daughter for her reaction.

"Okay, sure, why not?" Kira shook her head, then looked to her father. "Dad, how old are you?"

"43." He told her with a smile, then tried to joke to ease the tension. "But I've been told I look mid-thirties."

It helped a little, and Kira let out a little huff. It was the closest she could get to a laugh in that moment.

Then her mother looked at the sheathed sword hilt she was holding (the other thing she was asked to bring that she had almost forgotten about.) and she handed it over.

Noshiko moved to the desk and unsheathed it, allowing the pieces to spill out onto the desk.

"The blade was shattered the last time it was used."

"When was that?"

"1943. Against a Nogitsune."

"All this, it's all happened before, hasn't it?" Scott asked, the wheels turning in his mind.

"Yes." Noshiko confirmed, mildly impressed.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Mr Yukimura stated.

"Where did it come from?" Kira asked.

"It was an internment camp during World War II. In Oak Creek. Not too far from here." Noshiko told her daughter.

"Hold on." Scott began with a frown as he looked at Mr Yukimura. "You told Allison and Isaac that there was no internment camp at Oak Creek."

"Allison's family has a certain history of violence. I didn't know if she could be trusted." Ken confessed, and Scott was offended on his mate's behalf, but with people like Gerard and Kate in her family he bit his tongue. The teacher barely knew Allison, so Scott couldn't fault him for worrying based on the Argent reputation alone. "There was a camp, yes. But all the records were erased."

"They covered it up." Noshiko added.

Mr Yukimura reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a notebook.

"When I was a grad student, my passion project, actually more like an obsession, was trying to dig up the truth on Oak Creek." He explained as he laid out the pictures for the two teens to see. "It's how I met your mother, Kira."

"So, where did the Nogitsune come from?"

"Isn't it obvious yet?" Noshiko asked rhetorically before looking away. "It came from me."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the Hale House, the majority of the pack were getting impatient.

"I'm so sick of just standing around doing nothing." Erica complained.

"We can't do much until Scott and Kira get back." Ethan stated.

"Unless we break Derek out of jail," Aiden suggested, not for the first time.

"No, he wants to do it the legal way, and we have to respect that." Danny stated.

"We can go out and search for Stiles." Cora suggested.

"And walk into a trap like Isaac and a dozen other people have?" Jackson asked rhetorically.

"More than a dozen, if you count the bomb at the station." Lydia chimed in helpfully.

"What does that mean for Stiles?" Malia asked. "Will he remember it when he's himself again, or is it all the Nogitsune?"

"The Nogitsune is responsible for hurting everybody, not Stiles. But he might remember it, we won't know for sure until he's himself again and can tell us." Cora told her cousin. "However, knowing what we know about the Nogitsune, it's probably making Stiles live it. We'll probably have to help him deal with it when we get him back."

"Speaking of getting him back, what does everybody think about Scott's 'changing the host means turning Stiles back into a werewolf' theory?" Aiden asked while folding his arms.

"It's got merit." Lydia stated.

"Really?" Cora asked incredulously. "It sounds ridiculous to me. I'm with Deaton, Stiles is already a werewolf, having Derek bite him won't change a thing."

"He's a werewolf who hasn't shifted in weeks." Jackson reminded the brunette. "Maybe that's because he can't, because he's not a werewolf anymore, he's a fox."

"If that was true, wouldn't we see a fox around him, like we do Kira?" Erica asked.

"Not necessarily, Derek says older Kitsunes can hide it." Lydia reminded the blonde girl.

"Still, I've heard of people being bitten by werewolves and becoming something else, but I've never heard of someone changing from a werewolf into something else." Cora declared.

"Clearly it's a unique situation, but-" Lydia tried, only to be cut off.

"It's impossible." Aiden interjected. "I know you want to believe Stiles can be saved-"

"He can be saved." Everyone but the twins and Malia declared at once. Malia agreed with the statement, she just wasn't as in tune with the pack yet.

"We'll save him, I'm just saying that 'changing the host' won't work for Stiles because he's not human anymore." Cora told Aiden sternly. "We're not giving up on him, we just have to find another way."

"It will work because he's not a werewolf anymore." Jackson insisted.

"He's a werewolf possessed by a fox that's blocking his wolf side, but he's still a werewolf." Cora argued.

"Maybe he's both." Malia suggested.

"It's impossible to be both," Aiden told her confidently. "He's a possessed werewolf, that's all."

"Maybe not for long." Lydia finally declared, deciding that it was finally time to come clean about her conversation with Stiles. "Not if he can separate."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noshiko worked quickly as she tried to sort the pieces of the sword into the right order.

"Kira, I need your help on this. There isn't much time. And this is something that needs to be done in the daylight."

"Not until you tell us everything." Kira retorted with her arms folded

"Tell them, Noshiko. Tell them what they need to know." Ken insisted.

"Wolves and foxes tend not to get along. Not just in fables and stories." Noshiko declared while looking at Scott. Kira and Scott looked at each other, both wondering why she felt so at home with the pack if that was the case.

"But allies, however unlikely, should be welcomed. Especially in times of war." Ken reminded his wife. Noshiko looked at him in disbelief, then she looked at Scott again. The most frustrating part was realising that her husband was right. She let it out by slamming a piece of the blade down on the table.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the sheriff's station, Deputy Jordan Parrish was going through the process of returning Chris' belongings when he stopped at a stun baton.

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this." The deputy told the hunter. "It's way above the legal voltage limit."

"I only use it for hunting." Chris stated while shooting Jordan a pointed look.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747."

"This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped." Chris argued. "Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that." He added as he looked at Derek, missing John walking in behind him.

"I am." John declared as he came to a stop beside Chris and leaned on the desk to look at Parrish. "I'll take care of this, Parrish."

"Sheriff, I'm not kidding." Jordan stated in a hushed tone. "This thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber. Werewolf or human, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"I said I'll take care of it." John declared as he took the stun baton from the deputy and collapsed it down.

He then led Derek and Chris to his temporary office and they gathered around his desk, but remained standing.

"The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit. 'We can't say for sure'. And then I spoke with Melissa." John explained as he pulled out two scans and placed them side by side. "These are brain scans. My wife's and Stiles'. I knew they were similar." He continued as he placed one on top of the other so the brains lined up, he then handed them to Chris. "But those are the same. Exactly the same."

"And I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asked for confirmation. Thanks to Lydia, he was less concerned about the dementia but, like John, he hadn't dismissed it as a possible second issue for them to face. He needed John to reassure him that it was all just another trick.

"Not even remotely."

"So the trickster is still playing tricks." Chris commented as he dropped the scans onto John's desk.

"But why this trick?" Derek wondered aloud.

"When I was in the Army, an officer told me, 'If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage. You take away their hope'." John recalled.

"You don't look like a man who gives up hope easily." Chris commented.

"But Stiles might." John stated. "If this thing inside him, if it's using his mother's disease as some sort of psychological trick, then this isn't just a fight for his body. It's also a fight for his mind. Right?"

"Stiles is strong, he won't give up any time soon." Derek stated confidently. "He'll keep fighting whether he knows it's a trick or not."

"You know, he's left people severely injured." Chris declared.

"And others severely dead." Derek added, hoping the hunter would let something slip in front of the Sheriff so Derek wouldn't be alone in his mistrust. But Chris just looked at him and didn't rise to the bait. "Yes, he'll feel guilty but he won't give up and leave us all behind, especially me and John."

"That's why I need the two of you." John declared. He immediately picked up on what Derek was doing and made a mental note to talk to him alone, but now wasn't the time. "I need people who are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop him."

"And by stop him, you mean trap him." Chris stated knowingly, and the sheriff nodded.

John picked up the stun baton and passed it to the hunter, though not without a pointed look. Silently warning the man not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Okay, stop. Just stop." Kira ordered when her mother got a little too invested in describing a kiss. "We don't want to hear your Casablanca story. We wanna know how to save Stiles."

"I'm trying to tell you." Noshiko insisted, but Scott didn't need to listen to her heartbeat to know that it was a lie.

"You're trying to stall." Scott accused with a theory running through his head. "When the sun goes down, the oni are gonna come after him again, aren't they?"

"Your friend's gone, Scott." Ken stated.

"I don't think you know that for sure." Scott argued as he looked to and from Mr and Mrs Yukimura a few times before settling his gaze on the woman. "You brought the oni. Can you call them off?"

"It's not his fault." Kira declared.

"Stiles may be your best friend. He might be like a brother to you. But he is nogitsune now." Noshiko told Scott. "He is void."

"Can you call them off?" Scott demanded.

"When you hear the rest of the story, you won't want me to." Noshiko warned, then continued telling her story.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Chris, John, and Derek met with Allison at the Argent apartment. The teen had received a text from her dad and set up in advance.

"This is everything non-lethal I could find." Allison announced as she gestured to the usual full moon selection laid out on the desk.

"Take all of it." Chris ordered.

"What's the plan here?" John asked.

"Our best shot right now is for Derek to try to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House. Especially if he went through something stressful there." Chris declared.

"Should all four of us be going to the same place?" The Sheriff asked.

"Where else has Stiles been showing up?" Chris asked thoughtfully.

"School, the hospital." Allison listed.

"Okay, hold on. We did this already." Derek interjected. "He disappeared. We started looking for him, then walked right into a trap at the hospital." He reminded the group.

"He's getting us to repeat the same moves." Chris realised.

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison asked the alpha.

"We can't. Not if the oni find him when the sun goes down." Derek reminded her. If the Oni found Stiles, they'd kill him.

"Scott's working on them right now, with Kira." The sheriff told the alpha, hoping to comfort him.

"That's the problem. We're all trying to outfox the fox." Chris stated and Derek had to look at the ground as he tried to contain his anger. The hunter kept talking like Stiles was already gone, and it was getting on the alpha's nerves.

"Listen. I'll understand if anyone wants to back out." John declared, prompting looks to be exchanged.

"Like hell am I going to let my mate fall victim to a fox." Derek declared.

"Apparently I'm carrying a lightsaber." Chris shrugged.

"Dad, you and Derek hit Eichen House. Sheriff, it's you and me in the hospital." Allison announced, stepping into the leadership role she was being trained for. "We all meet in the school."

By the time she finished speaking, she had also finished packing up the restraints and non-lethal weapons into the bag. The sheriff took the bag from her and the pair left. Derek moved to leave too until he realised that Chris was hanging back. Then he saw the hunter pick up a gun.

"Making sure you have a few lethal options just in case?" Derek asked darkly.

"I like to prepare for the worst." Chris replied as he loaded the gun.

"If you kill my mate, I'll kill you." Derek warned.

"If Stiles is still in there, I won't shoot." Chris declared with a steady heartbeat.

"How will you know?" The alpha demanded, not trusting the hunter's judgement on the situation.

"I'll know, and so will you."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Anything from Scott or Kira yet?" Boyd asked Lydia while walking into the kitchen. Lydia was leaning against the counter, staring at the clock on the wall.

"Not yet. Allison texted though. The sheriff got the charges dropped, so Derek and Mr Argent are free to help look for Stiles." The Banshee answered monotonously.

"Where are they searching?" Boyd asked urgently.

"Ally and the sheriff are checking the hospital, Derek and Mr Argent are checking Eichen House, then they're all meeting at the school." Lydia answered without taking her eyes off the clock.

"You okay?" Boyd asked with a concerned frown. "You seem kinda out of it. Is it a Banshee thing?"

"No, I'm just thinking." She assured him with a steady heartbeat.

"About?" Boyd prompted.

Where to start? The Nogitsune. The new voices. Stiles. Her lack of faith in the Banshee voices. The fact that only Jackson was with her in supporting Scott's theory. There was a lot on her mind, and none of it inspired much hope.

"Do you really think the scroll was a dead end?" She asked instead of answering.

"I don't know. I hope Scott got it right and it's as easy as having Derek bite Stiles, but I want to be prepared with a plan B if it isn't." He answered carefully. "Maybe we need to wait until Stiles has separated from the Nogitsune before we can change the Nogitsune and kill it. Maybe it won't separate from Stiles if it knows that. We need to figure out how it thinks before we can plan a next move it won't predict."

"That's easier said than done. This thing is ancient and smart, how are we supposed to get in its head?" Lydia sighed in frustration.

"By learning as much as we can about it." Boyd replied calmly. "Unfortunately for us, that's what Scott and Kira are doing. So, we have to wait."

"I don't like sitting around feeling useless." The Banshee complained.

"Working out in the bunker seems to be a popular solution around here." He informed her.

"Yeah, good thinking." Lydia nodded. "I'm gonna change and hit the treadmill for a while."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Sure." Lydia agreed easily. "I don't think any of us should be alone right now."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the hospital, Allison and John were in the elevator together.

"You know what, I don't know how you guys do it." John stated, breaking the silence. "You're all so strong. You're fearless. Hell, you even manage to keep your grades up."

"I am failing Econ." Allison admitted.

"Is that Coach's class?" The sheriff asked, and Allison nodded. "Well, I'll have a talk with him." He stated, and Allison smiled.

Then she remembered all the reasons she shouldn't be smiling, and she wanted to cry.

John noticed that the girl was struggling to keep it together and reached out to flip the switch to stop the elevator, granting them guaranteed privacy.

"Hey. You okay?" John asked gently.

"I'm not… Fearless. I'm terrified." Allison confessed shakily. "I'm always terrified. I… I act like I know what I'm doing, but I don't. I don't know if Isaac is dying right now. I don't know if I made a mistake with Scott, letting him go off alone. I don't know what my dad is thinking. I don't know if Derek is thinking clearly. I don't know where my mom is. She's supposed to be off looking for Kate, but apparently Kate's here in town. I don't know… I don't know anything."

Allison wasn't sure when the tears began to fall, but she knew she needed a hug. So, when the sheriff opened his arms she ran into them and embraced him. It reminded her of the night she moved in with him, Stiles, and Derek. It was soothing and paternal, and she felt safe.

"You know what's funny?" John asked rhetorically. "You sound just like a cop."

Allison chuckled through her sniffles, as she began to calm down. She pulled back from the hug and fought off the last wave of tears that were trying to escape, as the sheriff gently held her arms to support her as she trembled.

"Hey. You're gonna be okay." He assured her and she nodded. "Okay."

As John moved to flip the switch to start the elevator again, he was distracted by his phone buzzing with an alert.

"What's that?" Allison asked after the man checked his phone.

"I'm sure Lydia told you already but, after Stiles started sleepwalking, I had some extra security precautions put in. Motion sensors. Cameras."

"Is that his and Derek's room?" Allison asked once John had pulled up the live stream.

'Stiles' was sitting on the edge of his and Derek's bed, still at first, then he raised his left hand and waved at the camera.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"The literal translation is 'a bolt of lightning'. In French, it can also mean 'love at first sight'. But a bolt of lightning happens to be exactly what we need right now." Noshiko told her daughter, who looked skeptical.

"For what?"

"Excising the Nogitsune from Rhys' body shattered the katana. But you can put it back together." The elder kitsune explained.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Kira asked.

"Because I'm not a thunder kitsune." Noshiko explained. "Do you trust me?"

"I just found out you're 900 years old, I don't think I'm ever gonna trust you again."

"Trust me on this." She requested and Kira nodded.

Noshiko reached out and took her daughter's hand and guided it until it was hovering over the katana blade that she had carefully reassembled while telling her story.

Scott watched as lightning danced along the blade, so bright he had to squint. So did Kira, but Noshiko just stared and smiled as Kira's fox fire forged the blade back together.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

In Stiles and Derek's bedroom, Derek, John, Allison, and Chris gathered around a chessboard.

"What is all this? What are these sticky notes for?" Chris asked.

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you." John informed him. "We update it every time a new threat comes to town. First the threats were your family and the alpha, then your dad and the Kanima, then the Darach and the alpha pack. Even now that I've got my head around most of it, we use the board. It helps me make sense of it all. This should be downstairs in my study."

"Well, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles." Allison suggested.

It was then that Chris noticed that the piece with Isaac's name was off the board.

"You think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asked the sheriff, and Allison quickly stifled a laugh behind her hand. Knowing Stiles, there were many reasons that Derek was given the king piece.

"Well, you're the alpha, and you're heavily guarded." John commented, pointedly ignoring Allison's snicker. "Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate."

"It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the nogitsune." Chris realised.

"He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us." Allison declared.

"And he wants us to come there." Chris added.

"Night's falling." Derek chimed in.

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap."

"I don't think it is." John stated.

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff."

"And I guess mine is biased too," Derek smiled sarcastically.

"Even more than his." Chris confirmed without hesitation.

"Dad!"

"I'm just saying-"

"Hear me out." John insisted. "What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?"

"Our enemy is not a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product." John explained.

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that." Derek reluctantly admitted. "If you're right and the point of the dementia trick is to break Stiles psychologically, killing us could be just as effective."

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke." John insisted. "All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

"The sun is setting, Sheriff. What do you have in mind?" Chris asked.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Kira couldn't help but gasp in amazement when the lighting subsided, revealing a perfect, whole Katana laying on the desk.

Noshiko smiled as she picked up the sword and held it out for her daughter.

"Go ahead. It's yours now." She told the teenager.

"What if I don't want it?" Kira challenged. Sure, it looked cool and she wanted to use it, but she didn't want to kill anybody with it. Especially not Stiles.

"You need it." Noshiko declared before tossing the sword to her daughter. Kira caught it easily and instinctively spun it while moving into a power stance. "You see? It gives you balance. My power is yours now, Kira. If the oni can't stop Stiles, you have to. The same as I did." She added, then paused and glanced at Scott. "And maybe seek out a wolf to help you."

"You didn't tell us anything." Scott accused.

"You want to save Stiles? Kill him. That's the only way." Noshiko declared with a steady heartbeat.

"You agree with this?" Scott asked Mr Yukimura, hoping at least one adult would be reasonable.

"Sometimes, history does repeat itself, Scott." The teacher told his student.

"Only if you don't learn." The student retorted.

"But sometimes even then, fate conspires against you." Ken replied, ready for the response.

It was then that Scott received a text and pulled out his phone to check.

From: Allison
Message: Derek's loft

"There's a way to save him. There has to be." Scott declared, before turning and storming out to save his friend.

"Kira." Noshiko called out when her daughter moved to follow the boy. Kira stopped and looked back, so did Scott.

Noshiko picked up the Katana's sheath from the desk and held it out for her daughter. Kira stared for a moment then took it and sheathed the katana.

Noshiko and Ken watched as Scott and Kira left, then turned their attention to the last kaiken.

"I'll take it somewhere safe." Noshiko stated.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Her husband replied. When she looked at him in confusion, he elaborated. "History has not done well with making children into killers."

"These children played their part in it long before we came back to Beacon Hills." She told him. "I buried the jar deep within the roots of the Nemeton. It was their sacrifice that brought its power back. They let the demon out of its cage."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The sheriff made his way to the loft alone and slid open the door. There, waiting in the centre of the room, was Stiles.

He had his back to John at first so it was easy to think it was really his son.

Then he turned around and something about the look in his eyes rubbed John the wrong way.

"Hi, dad." 'Stiles' greeted the sheriff.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"We should be there." Aiden growled as he hit the punching bag before him. "They're out of their league."

"They're not planning on a fight, they'll be fine." Jackson replied as he held the punching bag steady for the other beta.

"They're not looking for a fight but the Nogitsune might be." Aiden reported as he threw three more punches in quick succession.

"I don't think it is," Cora chimed in from where she was sparring with Malia nearby. "I think it lured them to the loft for something else."

"Like what?" Aiden asked as he abandoned the punching bag and took off his glove.

"That's the problem, I don't know," Cora admitted as she dodged Malia's attacks.

"So why aren't we there making sure it isn't a trap?" Aiden demanded as he watched Cora sweep Malia's legs out from under her.

"Because if it is a trap, someone needs to go on to defeat this thing and save Stiles," Cora answered nonchalantly as she watched her cousin flip back to her feet then lunge.

"So you sent three humans and our alpha into a potential trap?" Aiden asked incredulously.

"They can take care of themselves." Jackson stated.

"Like Isaac?" The former alpha asked, making Jackson growl.

"How dare you-?" Jackson began with a sneer, only for his mate's voice to sound and calm him down.

"Enough!" Lydia snapped as she turned off then stepped off the treadmill. "Arguing isn't helping anybody. We need to come together, not turn on each other. Aiden, you need to have more faith in our pack. Jackson, you can't afford to lose your temper right now."

"I'm not, I'm just sick of him acting like he's-"

"Jackson."

The bitten wolf sighed and folded his arms, but didn't say anything else. He didn't want to get on his mate's bad side, after all.

"Allison, her dad, and the Sheriff may be human but they've all held their own against the supernatural and they're not going to let their guards down just because this thing is possessing Stiles. You shouldn't underestimate them." Lydia told Aiden.

"Maybe you're underestimating the Nogitsune." Aiden retorted. "The Oni kicked our asses and they haven't managed to kill it yet. Best I can tell, it's been killing them."

"But it hasn't killed any of us." The banshee reminded him. "Yes, it hurt Isaac, but he's still alive. We're all alive. It doesn't want to kill us, it wants to mess with us."

"But to it 'messing with us' means hurting us, right?" Malia asked as she swung her fist, only for Cora to duck out of the way. "Deadly pranks?" She added as she swung her other fist and successfully jabbed Cora in the gut. Cora responded by kicking her cousin in the stomach.

"It seems to be targeting the townspeople for that, not us. Isaac's the only one who walked into one, and it might not have planned for him to be there." Lydia pointed out.

"But what if it wants us to think that so we let our guards down?" The former alpha retorted.

"That's why they went in armed." Lydia retorted calmly.

"With non-lethal weapons." Aiden replied dryly.

"Look, I'm not saying we should trust the Nogitsune, I'm just saying you should have some optimism and hope." Lydia explained, letting her frustration show.

"Someone has to remind you lot to not get your hopes too high. Sometimes, things don't work out." Aiden reminded her and the others. "I want it to be as easy as you make it out to be, but eventually your luck is going to run out and not all of us are going to survive. That's just the way things are. Isaac's in a coma, the next one of us to get caught in a trap might not be so lucky."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

John stared at his son's face, searching for a sign that his son was in control. When he couldn't be sure, he pulled out the handcuffs.

"You want to handcuff me?" 'Stiles' asked.

"If my son is still here, if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with me, because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and from others." John explained as he approached, coming to a stop in front of 'Stiles'.

'Stiles' silently held up his wrists and John stepped closer. He put the cuffs on his son and watched his reaction.

At first, 'Stiles' just stared at the cuffs on his wrists, then he looked up.

The look in his eyes sent a chill down the sheriff's spine and had him backing away.

"You're not my son." John accused and the Nogitsune snapped the cuffs.

Before the Nogitsune could say or do anything, Allison, Chris, and Derek walked in.

They quickly surrounded the Nogitsune, and Allison tried shooting him with the taser.

It did not go as she expected. Instead of collapsing in pain, the Nogitsune caught the darts and seemed completely unphased by the current as he yanked the gun from her hand.

Derek knew he needed to protect Allison from the creature possessing his mate, so he pushed past the fact that it was his mate's body. It was surprisingly easy. Perhaps it was because it didn't feel like his mate anymore. The mate bond remained, but Derek didn't feel it towards the body in front of him. It was how he knew Stiles was locked away deep within his mind, and no amount of pleading would get through to him. All they could do was subdue the Nogitsune.

So it was easy for Derek to shift into beta form and lunge at the creature.

Unfortunately, it went as well as the taser did and Derek had his arm twisted behind his back, his head slammed into a table, then he was tossed into a support beam.

That's when Chris aimed and cocked his gun. The Nogitsune heard the sound and turned to look.

"Don't!" Derek called out as he groaned in pain.

The Nogitsune and Chris both ignored him. The Nogitsune turned to face Chris properly and stood in front of the loaded gun without fear.

"Argent, listen to me. Don't do this." The sheriff spoke calmly, despite his raging emotions.

"Why not?" Chris asked rhetorically without taking his eyes off the possessed teen. Behind the Nogitsune, Derek rose to his feet and looked for an opportunity to disarm the hunter. "I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a Nogitsune to the list."

John immediately drew his weapon and aimed it at Chris. The Nogitsune looked surprised but Derek didn't.

"You're not going to shoot my son." John stated.

"You said it yourself, Sheriff. That's not your son." Chris retorted.

"Put it down." John ordered. The hunter didn't listen, so the sheriff tried again a little more aggressively. "Put it down."

"Dad, he's going to shoot me." 'Stiles' stammered with tears in his eyes. "He's going to kill me, Dad."

"Don't listen." Chris told the sheriff.

"Put it down. Now! Do it! Put it down!"

As John shouted, the Nogitsune turned its gaze onto the hunter.

"Pull the trigger. Come on." The Nogitsune goaded Chris.

"Listen to me, you put the gun down now!"

"Shoot me."

"Put the gun down now!"

"Dad."

"Shoot me!"

"Put the gun down!"

"Shoot me!"

"Argent, you put it down!"

"Strife." Allison whispered as she took in the frantic scene before her.

Derek looked to the window as the room darkened around them, a familiar feeling of dread overcame him and he knew. The Oni were coming.

"Stop, stop it!" She shouted. "This is what he wants. This is exactly what he wants."

"Not exactly." The Nogitsune corrected. "I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out. Because you're not here to kill me." He explained, then turned to face the window, just in time to see four Oni appear. "You're here to protect me."

Chris tried to shoot the Oni only to find that his gun jammed. He tossed it away and pulled out a second gun just as John started shooting.

Derek made his way to Allison's side as she drew a ring dagger.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott and Kira arrived at the loft to find Derek bleeding, Chris pointing a weapon at them, and Allison and John looking exhausted. Chris quickly lowered his weapon but didn't move to get up.

"What happened?" Scott asked as he rushed to his mate.

"They disappeared." Allison told him. "They literally just vanished."

"And so did Stiles." John added.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Noshiko Yukimura made her way down to the basement at Eichen House. Upon arrival, she was surprised to find that Rhys' body had been uncovered. She then reminded herself that she shouldn't be, because how else would Scott have that picture?

She made her way towards it, unable to help herself. She crouched down by the hole in the wall and picked up pieces of the wall. Specifically, two pieces that made up the kanji she had carved all those years ago.

"Why that kanji?" A familiar voice asked from behind her. She didn't have to look to know it was the Nogitsune in Stiles' body. "Why 'self'?"

"To signify that he died as himself." She answered while looking at the body in the wall "Because Rhys wasn't a monster." She added as she rose to her feet and pulled out her last tail. "Not like you."

"If I'm such a monster, why'd you call off the oni? What happened to the woman who called out for chaos, strife and pain to descend upon everyone and everything? What happened?" He asked as he grew ever closer to her.

"I don't want that anymore." She told him.

"I do." He whispered, then grabbed her wrist and slowly began to twist it. "Did you bring this here thinking you could hide it from me?" He then used his free hand to snatch the kaiken from her. "Bad idea."

The Nogitsune then turned the blade on itself and stabbed itself in the abdomen. Noshiko watched in horror as it dragged the blade across, slicing his body open.

"What have you done?" Noshiko demanded as the Nogitsune removed the blade from his body then dropped it to the floor. She watched as he staggered to his knees and looked up at her with a dark glare.

"Chaos has come again." He whispered, then he began to spasm and convulse as a swarm of flies emerged from the wound.

The swarm came towards her, and Noshiko closed her eyes as she batted them away frantically.

When the swarm flew away and she opened her eyes again, the Nogitsune wasn't there.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

One of the flies that came from the Nogitsune flew through Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, passing patients, visitors, and staff members like Melissa McCall on it's way to Isaac's room. Once there, it flew to the werewolf and landed on his arm, then crawled into the opening formed by the needle in his arm, connecting him to the cannula.

The moment the fly entered his blood stream, Isaac woke up with glowing eyes.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Hale House, Scott and Kira had just finished telling the pack what they had been told by Kira's mum.

"Well that's helpful," Jackson drawled sarcastically.

"We're going to save him. We'll figure it out." Kira stated reassuringly.

"How? She basically said she doesn't know how to save him and we're back where we started. This is just great," Jackson sighed.

"No, this is great," Lydia corrected her mate, drawing confused looks from some of her pack mates. "Stiles is trying to separate from the Nogitsune. Now we know that when he does, we need to have Derek bite it to change it, then have Kira stab it with her shiny new sword."

"If I can get close enough to bite it." Derek grumbled, somewhat reluctantly. "I tried to attack it tonight and it kicked my arse."

"Because you were holding back." Lydia argued confidently with her hands on her hips. "When the real Stiles is standing beside you, you won't hold back fighting the Nogitsune."

"I wasn't holding back." Derek told her, truly believing it.

"So you were fully shifted?"

"I fight better in Beta shift." Derek argued.

"But you're more powerful in full shift. If you really wanted to subdue this thing, you would have shifted and pinned it while Ally knocked it out with something stronger than a stun gun." Lydia shot back, and Derek couldn't bring himself to argue that. The thought had crossed his mind in the moment but he opted against it. He told himself that it was because he would've been knocked out too and he didn't want to be a burden on the other three. The truth was that he was holding back because when he looked at the Nogitsune, all he saw was Stiles. And he could never hurt Stiles.

"Okay, so we know how we kill this thing, but how do we help Stiles separate from it?" Allison asked when the silence lasted ten seconds.

"I don't think we can. I think that's up to him." Lydia admitted with a frown.

"I actually have a way to help with that." Derek admitted. "Peter can teach me how to get into Stiles' mind. If we can subdue the Nogitsune again, I'll be able to get in Stiles' head and help him break free from wherever he's locked up in there. I can set him free, and he can do whatever he needs to do to separate."

"Okay, so why don't we just ask Dr Deaton to get more of that moss stuff?" Scott suggested hopefully.

"The Nogitsune won't fall for the same trick twice." Derek told the crooked-jawed teen with a frown.

"Maybe if we can get some Kanima venom…" Erica trailed off thoughtfully.

"Kanima venom." Derek repeated as the metaphorical lightbulb turned on. "That's brilliant, well done."

"But where would we even get any?" Jackson asked nobody in particular.

Allison's head shot up. "My mom is in South America looking for Kate," She announced. "She's on her way back but I can ask her to make a stop on the way. I mean, Tammy still has the tail, right?"

"It'll take her days to get back." Aiden argued. "Who knows how many more people will be killed by then. We have to do something now."

"Deaton might be able to get some," Derek stated while mentally filing Aiden in the same category as Chris. "Scott, when are you next at work?" He asked calmly.

"Tomorrow, but I can talk to him tonight." Scott volunteered, only to be shut down by the alpha.

"No, not tonight. Tonight you're staying here. All of you are. Nobody should be alone." Derek stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Even me?" Kira asked hopefully.

"Especially you." Derek answered honestly. "Until we know your parents can be trusted, I want you with someone in the pack every second of every day until this is over."

"Thanks." Kira told him sincerely. "I just didn't want to go home yet. I feel like I don't even know them anymore."

"Yeah, that feeling might never go away," Jackson told her, thinking of his own reaction to finding out he was adopted. It changed the way he viewed his adoptive parents and he never managed to reconcile that before they walked out of his life and moved to London.

"Or maybe they'll put in the effort to fix it and your relationship will be better than before." Allison suggested while thinking of her relationship with her own parents.

"Thanks, but what can we do to help Stiles tonight?" Kira asked, eager to get the attention off herself.

"There's nothing we can do tonight. You all need to rest." Derek stated sternly.

"But-" Erica tried to protest.

"Until we get our hands on some Kanima venom, there's nothing we can do. So stop arguing and go to bed." Derek ordered.

"If one of us were missing, Stiles wouldn't rest until he found us." Erica argued.

"Actually, when you three were missing, Stiles was the one making sure we ate and slept, so we wouldn't exhaust ourselves and become useless." Scott told her honestly. "If he could talk to us now, he'd tell us to take care of ourselves."

Derek nodded to Scott in a show of gratitude, and Scott smiled in return. It was a forced smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I can't stay here tonight." Allison announced suddenly, much to Derek and Scott's dismay.

"Why not?" The alpha and the crooked-jawed teen asked in unison.

"I need to talk to my dad about what the hell he was thinking today." Allison answered honestly.

"Did you mess with his gun?" Derek asked.

"Yes." Allison confirmed without hesitation. She wasn't proud of her action but she stood by it. She wanted to trust her dad but her gut told her not to. It reminded her that her dad was capable of killing his own father without blinking, without giving him the chance to stand down. So, she did what she felt she had to do.

"Thank you."

"Wait, so Mr Argent isn't on our side anymore?" Danny asked with a concerned expression.

"He is, he's just more focused on stopping the Nogitsune than saving Stiles." Allison explained carefully. "He won't get in our way while we save him, but we might have to be prepared to stop him from pulling the trigger."

"Just how trigger happy is he?" Jackson asked with narrowed eyes.

"He hesitated," Derek acknowledged. "He had the gun aimed at Stiles and he hesitated to pull the trigger."

"Maybe it was just because there were witnesses who'd arrest him in a heartbeat." Cora suggested. "I say we let Ally go home so he can't sneak off and finish the job on his own."

"I hate to admit it, but that is part of it." Allison admitted. It was also because she would feel guilty sharing a bed with Scott while Isaac was in a coma, but she'd never admit that. It was one thing to be alone with Scott when their other mate knew and gave his blessing, and another thing entirely when their mate couldn't be with them because he was hurt. She would feel the same if Isaac was fine and Scott was the one in the coma.

"I'll drive you home," Derek declared, his firm tone and stern stare left no room for argument, so Allison nodded. "Good. I expect the rest of you to be in bed by the time I get back."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison arrived at the apartment to find her dad sitting in the living room with his head in his hands.

"Dad." She greeted, causing the man to look up in surprise.

"Allison." He greeted. "I thought you'd be spending the night with your pack."

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Hmm?"

"Were you really gonna pull the trigger on Stiles?" She asked bluntly.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." The hunter confessed.

"I'll check the firing pin." Allison told him casually, referring to the gun that didn't fire and the man immediately saw through her act. He rose from his seat and approached her.

"You removed it?" He asked and Allison nodded. Chris smiled. "That's why the women are the leaders in our family." He commented as he reached out to cup her cheek.

Allison couldn't be more relieved to hear those words, restoring some of her faith in her father. He was still a wild card in her eyes, but at least there was a part of him that wanted to save Stiles. Maybe not as much as she and the others did, but it was a start.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart." He added, and Allison didn't argue because she was exhausted from the fight.

As she walked into her bedroom, she was surprised to find Isaac sitting on the edge of her bed. She immediately dropped her bag.

"What are you doing here?" She asked gently as she rushed towards him and sat next to him on the bed.

"I thought I'd come see you and Scott, but sadly he's not here. Where is he? He's not at his house." Isaac asked.

"He's at the pack house, I'm the only one who got out of spending the night," She explained quickly. "Now, back to you. You didn't just walk out of the hospital, did you?"

"It's okay. I feel a lot better." He assured her. She reached out to caress his cheek and he smiled when it didn't hurt. "All healed."

"Giving you the alarm code was a bad idea." Allison stated.

"Maybe." Isaac smirked. "Or maybe it was a great idea because now Scott can use it to sneak in. Can you call him? I don't have my phone."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to buy you a new one." Allison tol him as she pulled her own phone out of her pocket. Isaac's phone had been damaged beyond repair when he was electrocuted. She quickly called Scott and put it on speaker so Isaac could speak to Scott too.

Scott picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Scott asked, audibly concerned that Allison was calling him out of the blue.

"Yeah, everything's great, but you need to come over." The huntress replied with a smile. "We have a visitor who really wants to see you."

"Who?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"Me," Isaac replied before Allison could.

"Isaac?" Scott gasped, unable to believe his ears.

"Yeah, it's me. I woke up and I'm fine, I just need to see you."

"I'm on my way."

Scott hung up the phone and left Isaac's bedroom. He hadn't changed out of his clothes yet, so all he had to do was put his shoes back on once he got downstairs.

Unfortunately, as he put them on, Derek came into the hallway and folded his arms.

"And where do you think you're going?" Derek demanded as he stared disapprovingly.

"Isaac's awake and at Allison's apartment," Scott told his alpha while pulling out the puppy eyes.

Derek didn't say anything, just pulled out his phone and called Allison.

"Derek? Is everything okay?" She asked the moment she answered.

"Is it true?" Derek asked instead of answering.

"Yes, it's true," A familiar voice replied but it wasn't Allison. It was Isaac, and Derek wanted to howl in relief when he heard his beta's voice. "I'm healed, I'm fine."

"Come home, both of you." Derek ordered, needing his pack at home together.

"What about my dad?" Allison asked.

"Do you think he'll make a move on Stiles tonight?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then come home, we'll deal with him tomorrow."

"I'm tired, can't Scott please just come here?" Isaac pleaded and Derek couldn't bring himself to refuse, no matter how much he wanted to see the curly haired beta with his own eyes.

"Fine." Derek reluctantly agreed, then pointed at Scott as he added, "But you have to call me the second you get there."

"I will." Scott promised easily.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott pulled up outside the apartment building and shut off his bike, oblivious to the fly buzzing behind him.

As Scott took off his helmet, the fly flew up and landed on the cusp of his ear, and crawled towards the canal.

Scott felt a tickle and itched his ear but it was too late, the fly was already inside.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Scott had called to say he was safe with Allison and Isaac. The rest of his betas were in their bedrooms, some sleeping, some not, and Derek felt calm.

His mind was clear but he couldn't sleep yet. He needed to do one more thing before he could rest.

He was so focused on his task that he didn't notice his uncle join him in his study until he spoke.

"What are you doing? And more importantly, why aren't you healing?"

Derek looked over his shoulder but couldn't see the wound he knew to be on the back of his shoulder. "It's from one of their swords. It'll heal."

"By playing chess?" Peter drawled.

"Up in our room, Stiles had a board with my name on one of the pieces." Derek explained. "John took it to the station with him to study, so I'm recreating it. If this is a game to the Nogitsune, then I need to figure out the plays."

"Not so easy to do when it's a game without rules." Peter commented.

"What does that mean?" The alpha asked.

"You're dealing with the kind of spirit that's lived too long to play by human rules. It's a fox spirit that chose to become human. And supposedly, that's something they can do only after about 100 years. If a kitsune is an annoying pain in the ass, then a Nogitsune, which is a dark kitsune, is a freaking disaster." Peter reminded his nephew. "Besides, chess is Stiles' game. It's not the game of a Japanese fox." He commented while putting on his jacket. "Do yourself a favor and put something on that. Before it gets infected."

"Where do you think you're going? I said everyone stays here tonight and that includes you," Derek stated sternly.

"Don't worry, I'll be back by the time you subdue the fox. There's just the small matter of Kate Argent to attend to." Peter stated with a smirk.

"You have a lead?"

"I hear whispers that she's staying at the motel on the edge of town."

"You shouldn't go alone. She's dangerous." Derek warned his uncle. "I'll go with you."

"Trust me, deputy. You don't want to be there." Peter warned, cluing Derek into the fact that he wasn't going to simply confirm she was there, but to kill her.

"You can't take her on alone. Either I go with you, or you don't go at all." Derek stated sternly, with all the authority of an alpha.

"I'm not letting you face her when you're not at a hundred percent." Peter shot back, glaring at the younger man. Derek didn't know if the man was referring to his physical injury or the fact that his mate was missing, but both were valid concerns. Not that the alpha would admit it.

"You don't tell me what to do, I'm the alpha here."

"I'm your uncle, and I'm older, you listen to me, not the other way around."

As the two Hales argued, they were oblivious to the fly on the outside of the window, trying desperately to get through the bulletproof glass.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

The next day, Ethan and Danny were at the school, heading into the locker room after a private practice session.

"I gotta say, you definitely did well out there." Danny complimented as they walked, Ethan making his way to a sink, and Denny heading to his locker. "You'll definitely make the team next spring. I mean, if you want to."

"I want to." Ethan replied.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah." Ethan replied as he began to fill the sink with water, but his tone sounded forced to his own ears. "I mean… This town is a literal beacon for supernatural activity. It's dangerous. There's always some threat or another and I just… I kind of don't know if this is the place for me." He confessed. "For us."

Danny just nodded as he shut his locker.

Ethan didn't know what else to say, so he didn't say anything. He just turned off the tap and scooped up water into his hands. He closed his eyes and missed seeing the fly land in the water moments before he splashed his face.

"I mean, this you leaving school again… Is it about your brother?" Danny asked as he sat on the bench closest to the sinks.

"Yeah." Ethan answered. Aiden was the one always saying something the rest of the pack disagreed with. Aiden didn't feel the pack bonds as strongly as he did. Aiden was dropping hints about fleeing town every time they were alone. Ethan didn't want to walk out on the pack, but would follow Aiden if he left. "It is, actually. It's always about my brother, isn't it?"

"You alright?" Danny asked, concerned by Ethan's tone and dark expression.

Ethan took off his shirt.

"I think I'm just going to take a shower." The werewolf told the human.

"Okay." The hacker replied casually, figuring the werewolf just needed to unwind after getting worked up for practice.

"So are you."

Danny looked up at those words and smiled.

"Okay." He agreed before taking his own shirt off and following Ethan to the showers.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Cora and Aiden were racing through the preserve to burn off some excess energy. Cora had been in the lead until they were out of earshot from the house, then she stopped running, turned, and stood in Aiden's path.

"Did you know that the bedrooms at the house sound proof when the door is locked?" She asked.

"Yeah." Aiden replied, visibly confused.

"And the library, Derek's study, the sheriff's study too."

"Yeah, I know."

"Did you also know that the living room isn't soundproof, because none of the doors lock?"

"So, this about what I said to Ethan last night?" Aiden asked for confirmation. "About how I was considering leaving town, and by extension, the pack."

"Obviously."

"Look, it's nothing personal. I like you all, and I don't want to lose the pack bonds we've built but c'mon, this town is crazy. I've seen my fair share of werewolves and druids, but this year alone you've dealt with a feral alpha, a Kanima, vengeful hunters, a Darach-"

"Hey the Darach was only here chasing your old pack, and defeating her is what awoke the Nogitsune." Cora reminded him bluntly.

"I know, which is why we'll stick around long enough to help, but after that, I'm not sure. I want to stay in this pack, I really do, I'm just not sure this town is where we belong."

"So you'd rather be lone wolves than deal with a fight every once in a while?"

"It's not the fights I have a problem with, it's the fact that you don't finish them. You leave loose ends. Potential threats that can come back and bite us in the arse later." He informed her.

"So, this is about letting Kincaid go?" She asked for confirmation.

"He's dangerous. He could-" Before Aiden could finish, a fly flew straight into his mouth, and he choked on it.

Cora couldn't help but laugh, only for a fly to fly into her throat too.

"Karma," Aiden choked out, and Cora stuck her middle finger up at him.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia, Jackson, and Malia were in Lydia's new car.

Lydia was driving, Jackson was in the passenger seat, and Malia was in the back.

"Turn right onto Lincoln Road and continue for half a mile." Lydia heard the GPS say and turned the wheel.

"I thought we were taking Malia home," Jackson declared.

"We are," Lydia told him.

"She lives in the preserve. It should've taken us five minutes to get to her dad's house." Jackson reminded his mate. "So what are we doing out here?"

"Turn right onto Harmon Street and stay right." She heard the GPS say, so Lydia turned right.

"We're taking Malia home, it just appears we're taking the long way," Lydia replied defensively.

"As much as I'm enjoying the drive, I'm actually a little worried we're totally lost." Malia chimed in from the back seat.

"Why do you think that?" Lydia asked.

"'Cause you just made your fourth right. And four rights make a circle." Malia answered bluntly.

"I did not. Did I? It's a brand-new car. The GPS was fine before." Lydia defended. "Maybe if someone hadn't totalled his Porsche with his werewolf strength, we wouldn't be in this car."

"Maybe if someone turned the GPS on, we wouldn't be lost right now." Jackson retorted with a pointed stare.

"What?"

Lydia looked to where she had seen the map just seconds before, to find it set to a radio station instead. She knew immediately what was happening and white-knuckled the steering wheel.

"Lydia. You okay?" Malia asked.

"Is it a Banshee thing?" Jackson asked.

Lydia tried to calm herself with deep breaths but the feeling of dread grew. It was all encompassing and made her want to scream.

"I need to stop. I need to pull over right now." Lydia declared in a panic as she turned into a car park.

"Lydia." Jackson called out when his mate's driving became erratic. "Lydia." He called out again. Then he saw what appeared to be a body lying in the middle of the car park. "Lydia, stop!"

Lydia slammed on the breaks and the tires screeched loudly as the car came to a stop.

While Malia stayed in the backseat, Jackson and Lydia got out of the car and moved closer to the body. Close enough to see that it was Stiles.

Jackson was too busy staring at Stiles to notice the fly crawling into his ear.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Allison woke up alone in bed. She frowned as she sat up, only for her eyes to fall on her two mates. Isaac and Scott were standing side by side in front of her mirror.

"There you are. What are you doing over there?" She asked.

"There's still a lot of weapons here. I thought your new code was about protecting." Isaac stated as he looked at the array of weapons he'd unpacked from Allison's bag.

"Most of them are non-lethal." Allison defended quickly.

"Hmm. This looks pretty lethal to me." Isaac declared as he held up the ring dagger she'd used against the oni. "But maybe you should keep them. There's still a few of us out there who aren't quite so non-lethal. Like the twins."

"I thought we were going to give them a second chance." Allison frowned as she looked to Scott for support, but he was oddly quiet and staring at his own reflection.

"They don't deserve it." Isaac declared.

"Things are different now. It doesn't have to be like that anymore. Right, Scott?" She asked, only for her mate to ignore her. "Scott?"

"The twins aren't the problem, my dad is." Scott stated monotonously as he stared into the mirror unblinkingly.

"Your dad?" Allison repeated in concern.

"He's the reason the sheriff is under investigation. He got in the way of the oni when we were trying to protect Kira and Malia. He keeps getting in the way." Scott spoke in a dark tone Allison had never heard from him before and it scared her. She knew in that moment that her mates weren't themselves and she knew she had to help them.

"Okay, something's clearly going on, so let's all calm down and go talk to Derek before we do anything impulsive," Allison advised in the calmest tone she could muster.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that." Isaac told her, then turned to leave. Allison threw off the covers and attempted to follow him only to find that her ankles were cuffed to the bed posts.

"Isaac, wait! Isaac!" She called out, but the beta kept walking. "Scott, you've got to get me out of these."

"I have to take care of something first."

"Scott, this isn't you. You don't want to hurt anybody, especially your dad!" She reminded him, hoping to get through to the real him. "Just set me free and we can help Isaac together."

"I'll come back for you once I've dealt with him."

"Scott!"

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

At the Hale house, Melissa, Deaton, Lydia, Erica, Cora, Boyd, Kira, and Aiden watched as Derek and Jackson carried Stiles into the living room. Lydia and Jackson had dropped Malia off at her dad's house on the way home, and called Deaton to bring the Kanima venom when Scott didn't answer his phone.

"The couch, put him on the couch." Derek ordered.

"Guys, this is crazy. He needs to be in the hospital." Melissa insisted.

"Remember what happened last time he went to the hospital?" Derek asked rhetorically, and she sighed in defeat.

Deaton crouched down in front of Stiles and parted the slit in his shirt to get a look at the wound.

"It doesn't look like he's bleeding. I think he might even be healing." Deaton announced.

"That's good, right?" Cora asked.

"For him, yes. Us? I'm not so sure."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Melissa tried calling John but Rafael McCall quickly rejected the call.

"You've got some priorities to attend to, Sheriff." The agent reminded the sheriff.

"McCall, trust me when I tell you you don't have a clue about my current priorities." The sheriff shot back, thinking of his possessed and missing son.

"You don't show up to this preliminary hearing, you'll be out of a job."

John let out a humourless laugh as he opened his desk drawer and retrieved his badge and gum.

"Why are you bringing those?" McCall asked.

"In case I'm turning them in." The sheriff replied as he walked past the man, ignoring his phone as it began to ring again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Well, if we're not going to kill him, why aren't we at least tying him down with really big chains?" Aiden asked with his eyes locked on Stiles, waiting for the Nogitsune to jump up and attack.

"I might have something more effective." Deaton announced as he opened a small case.

"You had some?" Derek asked hopefully, and Deaton answered by holding up an amber vial.

He looked to the werewolves either side of him and they immediately understood.

Derek and Aiden moved together, Derek held Stiles' head in place and Aiden carefully pried his mouth open.

Deaton then moved into place with the dropper and squeezed, allowing the release of a clear liquid, directly into Stiles' mouth.

The moment the substance spilled down his throat, Stiles' eyes shot open and the nogitsune saw Aiden first. It grabbed him, one hand on his wrist, the other on his throat.

"Get him off me!" Aiden gasped out, and Derek immediately began prying at Stiles' hand. "Get him off me!"

The nogitsune suddenly let go, its hand trembling as it went numb.

"Kanima venom. Nice touch." The nogitsune couldn't help but compliment, impressed by their strategy.

Aiden roared in anger as he strode menacingly towards the Nogitsune, but the creature was unphased by the display of aggression.

"You know how they say that twins get a feeling when the other one's in pain? You didn't lose that talent, too, did you?" The Nogitsune asked, tormenting him with his gleeful little smile. "Oh, I hope not. You're going to need it. Okay, I'll give a little hint. Ethan's at the school."

Aiden looked to Derek, silently asking for permission. After all, he hadn't actually left the pack, he was just considering it.

"Go." Derek ordered.

The nogitsune laughed as Aiden took off in a sprint.

"Oh, I hope he gets there in time. I like the twins. Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun than you bakemono trying to save the world every day."

"Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?" Melissa asked.

"Yes, I do." The vet replied, then pulled out a roll of tape. He tore off a piece and approached the possessed teen, then covered his mouth.

The Nogitsune screamed, but the sound was muffled by the tape.

"Kira, would you mind taking your katana and backing Aiden up?" Derek requested calmly.

"Of course," Kira agreed eagerly.

"I can go with her," Eriica offered.

"No," Derek refused quickly. "I have a feeling I'm gonna need you here."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"As a reminder, Sheriff, we're just here to talk. We want to review both the successes and the failures."

There were two piles of files on display between John and those 'assessing' him.

"Which pile is which?" John asked lightly. Tense silence was his only response. "Sorry I asked."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"When the hell is Peter gonna get here?" Lydia demanded.

"Why are we even relying on him?" Jackson growled. "After everything he's done he doesn't deserve a pack, let alone to be trusted. I say we kick him to the curb."

"You know who else we should kick to the curb?" Cora asked rhetorically. "Argent. He's as bad as his sister, and his father. He's not looking to save Stiles, he's looking to kill him."

Their words alone were concerning enough, but then Derek felt a gaze on his back. He looked through the kitchen door into the living room to find the Nogitsune staring at him, and he just knew it was smirking under the tape. Derek looked to his pack again and knew what had to be done.

"Cora, Jackson, I need you both to lock yourselves in the holding cells right now." The alpha stated as calmly as he could.

"Why should we?" Cora asked darkly. "Why should we be locked away like animals when the man who murdered our family gets to walk free?"

"Chris had nothing to do with that. You want to go after Kate like Peter probably is? Fine, but Chris is off limits. He's still on our side." Derek stated.

"Is he? You said it yourself, he's not against killing Stiles. How is that 'on our side'?" Cora growled, not noticing as one of her mates grew closer.

"He says he can do it, but he never pulled the trigger. That has to count for something."

"It's not enough." Cora stated with glowing eyes.

Derek nodded to Erica and the blonde pounced, wrapping an arm around her mate's neck.

"Sorry baby," Erica whispered, but she didn't have much to be sorry for because Cora swung her head back, breaking her mate's nose. "Fuck!" Erica shouted in pain as she released Cora and staggered back.

Boyd moved to help, only to be attacked by Jackson.

"Oh god," Lydia gasped as she moved in front of Deaton protectively. At the same time, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag of mountain ash.

Derek was quick to leap into action. He went for Cora first, grabbing her by the back of her neck and throwing her towards Lydia. The banshee quickly got a handful of mountain ash and threw it at the she-wolf, successfully encasing her in mountain ash.

Boyd was holding his own against Jackson, but boy did he appreciate it when Derek stepped in to rip the out of control wolf off of him.

Containing Jackson was just as easy as containing Cora, but watching the two struggle against the mystical barriers and howl in anger wasn't easy.

"Can we move them to the holding cells?" Erica asked Derek while wiping away the blood on her face with her shirt. "I don't like seeing her like this."

"If we can find some way to knock them out first." Derek replied. "But I'd rather not risk it."

"So, what should we do?" Boyd asked.

"I need you two to stay as far away from the Nogitsune as possible before it can infect you too."

"Actually, I think going outside is the problem." Lydia declared thoughtfully. "You three are the only wolves who haven't left the house today, and you're the only three we know aren't affected."

"So, you think Scott and Isaac are affected too?" Derek asked with a frown.

"I haven't heard back from either of them today, have you?" She asked rhetorically.

Derek's frown deepened and he called Allison.

"Can't talk." Allison gasped through the phone, and it sounded like she was running.

"Where are Scott and Isaac?" Derek demanded.

"Scott's going after his dad, Isaac's going after the twins. I called my dad, he's closer to the station so he's going after Scott, I'm tracking Isaac and it looks like he's heading to the school." Allison told him as she continued to run.

"He is, Ethan's already there with Danny, and Aiden's on his way. They may have been affected by whatever the nogitsune has done too." Derek warned her. "Kira's on her way, she can be your backup. I'd come help you myself but Lydia has a theory that us wolves are getting affected when we go outside."

"Okay, I'll be careful." She promised.

"If you can, trap them in mountain ash. It's working for Cora and Jackson." Lydia advised.

"I'll try. Gotta go." With that, Allison hung up.

"If they're all affected, Peter probably is too." Derek sighed, just as the basement door swung open.

"Affected by what?" Peter asked casually. Jackson became more aggressive when he laid eyes on the target of his rage and began to attack the barrier holding him prisoner. "What's wrong with him?"

"Have you been home this whole time?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, after you forbade me from going after Kate last night, I went down to the second basement to train. After that, I went to the library to read and fell asleep in that devilishly comfy armchair of yours. Why?"

Peter was quickly filled in on what he missed.

"Well, I say we move these two to the holding cells," Peter stated. "You're going to need to focus now that it's time to get inside Stiles' mind," Peter smirked.

"I think we're grossly underestimating the danger here." Deaton argued. "He might be paralyzed, but it still feels like he's got us right in the palm of his hand."

Derek looked at the Nogitsune in his mate's body and couldn't bring himself to disagree.

"Lydia, grab a stun baton, a powerful one." Derek ordered. Peter was right, it was time to move the raging betas to the holding cells and chained up before they hurt themselves on the mystical barrier.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Melissa was watching over the Nogitsune and wrapping up his wound when she noticed him crying.

"Stiles?" She asked, and he nodded. She quickly but gently removed the tape. He sniffled a few times, then quickly dropped the act.

"Really, Melissa? I shed one tear? That's all it takes?" The nogitsune taunted, causing her to hang her head in shame. "Come on. You can't crumble that easily. How are you going to hold up when Scott knows the truth?"

"What?"

"When he finds out why his dad really left? You know he overheard it, right?" The nogitsune asked, then put on an expression of surprise. "You had no idea. You called Stilinski right after it happened. You didn't tell Scott, but you told the Sheriff. Hmm. But Stiles heard it like he hears everything. But you want to know why he never told Scott? Because he knew that Scott would never forgive you. He knew how much he would hate you."

"This isn't you, Stiles." Was all Melissa could say. She could tell that it was true that Stiles knew, it was the claim of why he kept it a secret she refused to believe. Stiles would never say that to her, whether it was true or not.

"It is now." The Nogitsune told her, and she had heard enough.

Without remorse, she covered his mouth in tape again.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Is there anything that you would like to say on your own behalf, Mr. Stilinski?" The centermost chairperson asked.

"As far as I know, it's still Sheriff until you relieve me of this position." John told her. "And if you do decide to relieve me of said position, then get to deciding." He ordered, surprising her. "Because this whole hearing crap is a waste of time."

John then got up and moved to leave.

"I have a few words of my own." Rafael McCall stated, stopping John in his tracks.

"Fantastic." John sighed.

"Let me make this as short and succinct as possible."

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, can I tell Coach you're trying out for the team?" Danny asked Ethan as they left the locker room.

"I'll think about it."

"Sounds like a yes to me." Danny replied gleefully as he walked away.

Ethan hung back, knowing his twin was waiting in the shadows.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"So, do we have a plan?" Deaton asked.

"Derek is going to try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles's mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles." Peter explained. "Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious. But he's not going to do it alone."

"What do you mean?" Derek demanded with a frown.

"Somebody needs to go in with you." Peter declared while looking at Lydia.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Isaac had arrived at the school to find the twins fighting, which made it easy to shock them both, then knock them out with the butt of the gun. He then gathered everything he needed to make a molotov cocktail. Well, everything except a way to ignite it, so he went searching in Coach's office.

"Come on, Coach, you gotta have a lighter." Isaac stated while rummaging through the drawers of his desk. "I'm gonna burn it down for Erica," He said to himself as he found what he was looking for. "For Boyd, for Cora, for Stiles. For everyone."

He lit the fabric on fire and whispered to himself as he made his way back to the twins. "I'm gonna burn it. I'm gonna burn it."

Before he could get very far, a blade swiped out and removed the flaming fabric from the bottle.

Isaac looked to see Kira holding a katana like a pro.

"Nice sword." He commented with a smile. But as he dropped the now useless bottle of chemicals, his smile dropped too.

Kira backed away as he stepped over broken glass to get to her, then she noticed Allison approaching.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back in the Hale living room, Derek was standing behind the couch that Lydia and 'Stiles' were sitting on. Peter was next to him, Melissa, Erica, and Deaton were standing in the middle of the room watching, and Boyd was in the basement watching over Cora and Jackson.

"So what do we do if we find him?" Derek asked his uncle.

"You're going to have to guide him out somehow." Peter answered as he guided Derek's hands, or more specifically his claws, into place. "Try to give him back control of his mind, his body."

"Could you elaborate on the 'somehow'?" Lydia asked snappily. "It's not feeling very specific at the moment."

Derek looked at Peter, silently backing up the banshee's question.

"Improvise." Peter shrugged.

"What if this is just another trick?" Erica asked Derek with a frown.

"When are you people going to start trusting me?" Peter asked with a forced chuckle.

"I meant him." Erica corrected while pointing at the nogitsune.

"Oh." Peter replied dumbly.

"Derek, we're running out of time." Deaton warned.

Derek took a few deep breaths to prepare himself, then allowed his eyes to glow red before pushing his claws into Stiles and Lydia's necks simultaneously.

The nogitsune's eyes went wide, and Lydia's mouth dropped open in a silent gasp of pain.

The world around them faded away and Derek and Lydia found themselves somewhere else entirely.

Unbeknownst to them, they arrived in the room Stiles and Oliver shared in Eichen House.

Derek was in the bed on the left, the one Stiles had sat on but not slept in, while Lydia was on the bed Oliver had used. Both were restrained by the five point system.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Back at the sheriff's station, John led Rafael into his office and closed the door.

"You just saved my job." The sheriff stated while leaning against his desk.

"Probably." Rafael agreed.

"Why?" John had to ask.

"Two reasons. One, I don't think Sherlock Holmes could figure out half the bizarre crap happening in this town. I mean, this place is literally the Bermuda Triangle of homicides, disappearances, and strange occurrences." Rafael declared.

"I can't argue that. What's number two?"

"Kicking you out of a job is not why I came back here. It was an excuse to stay." McCall confessed.

"You stalled the impeachment." John realised.

"That's right." McCall confirmed.

"Because you want to talk to Scott."

"That's right." He repeated.

"You did me a huge favor today." John stated as he stood up. "Let me do you a small one. Tell him. The next time you see him, just tell him everything."

Suddenly, the door swung open and both men looked to see Scott marching in.

"Okay, maybe not right this second." John amended.

"You," Scott growled when he laid eyes on his father. His eyes began to glow and he shifted into beta form.

"Scott, what are you doing?" John asked cautiously.

"He's trying to get you fired, he needs to go." Scott stated as he approached his father.

"He helped me, Scott. Just now, with the committee." John stated, hoping to calm Scott down.

"He brought them here in the first place." Scott growled.

"No I didn't," Rafael declared honestly. "I was sent here to gather more information, but nothing I said could have stopped this."

"Liar!" Scott yelled as he swiped with his claws.

John pulled Rafael back so the agent only wound up with a torn shirt, but that just served to make Scott angrier.

"Don't help him, he deserves this!"

"No he doesn't." John corrected sternly. "And you know that. I don't know what's happening right now, but I know this isn't you, Scott."

Scott charged, swerved around the sheriff, and body slammed his father. Rafael groaned in pain as he hit the ground. His son landed on top of him and roared in his face, his menacing fangs on full display.

John called out for back up and Parrish came running in and helped pry Scott off of the agent.

Scott spun around and shoved them both simultaneously, sending them staggering back.

"Scott," Rafael gasped as he son turned to face him again, eyes glowing and full of rage. "Please don't do this."

Scott just growled and moved to attack his father again, but then Chris Argent showed up with a stun baton.

Rafael was horrified yet relieved to see his son collapse to the floor, unconscious. John quickly opened another drawer in his desk and pulled out a bag of mountain ash and poured a wonky circle around Scott.

"Okay, what the hell is going on now?" John asked Chris with an exasperated sigh.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Lydia watched Derek struggle against the restraints in disbelief.

"Do you actually need me to remind you that you're a werewolf?" She asked incredulously.

"We're in Stiles's head." Derek defended.

"And you're a supernatural creature with supernatural strength. Break free." She ordered.

"What if I hurt him?" Derek asked.

"He'll forgive you."

Derek sighed. It was either break free or be trapped in Stiles' head with Lydia. It was an easy choice.

Derek ripped free from his restraints and set Lydia free from hers.

"What now?" Derek asked, hoping the Banshee would have the answer.

"I don't know." Lydia admitted. "This is my first time in someone else's head."

"Just stay behind me." Derek ordered, then made his way to the door.

Lydia followed as he stepped through and looked back at her, but the moment he accidentally let go of the door, it slammed shut.

"Derek? Derek!" She called out while banging on the door, but it soon became apparent that he couldn't hear her.

Or if he could, she couldn't hear him calling back to her.

Giving up, she turned away from the door, hoping to see another way out of the room, only to find that the room had changed. Gone were the beds and dresser, the room was completely bare.

Or, it was until a red balloon began to fall. It hit the ground with an unnatural thud for a balloon. Then a blue balloon fell, then another red balloon, then another blue one accompanied by a red one, and a silver one. Too many balloons to count fell from the ceiling.

Suddenly, Lydia found herself in the school corridor, dressed in the sneakers, jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket she wore the night Peter bit her for the first time, awakening her banshee abilities. The floor was covered in red, blue, and silver balloons.

"Jackson?" She called out as she made her way through the corridor, feeling a deep, indescribable urge to find him. "Are you in here?"

As she passed a classroom door, she heard a familiar snarling sound. She looked and saw the Nogitsune in its bandaged form wring on the chalkboard. It felt her stare and looked at her.

She couldn't see its eyes but she could still feel its gaze, and it was unnerving.

The Nogitsune didn't say anything, just pressed down harder with the chalk, resulting in a loud screeching sound that had Lydia cringing.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

Derek was making out with Stiles in the supply closet at the school when he was distracted by the sound of chalk on a board.

"Shh." Stiles whispered as he kissed Derek's jaw. Only, Stiles looked different. Or rather, the same as he used to look. His hair was buzzed short and he was wearing the clothes he wore on Allison's birthday. Not that Derek noticed.

"I thought I heard something." Derek told his mate.

"It's okay. You're with me. Everything's fine." Stiles assured the alpha in a hushed voice. "We just have to be quiet. Really quiet."

That was good enough for Derek, so when Stiles kissed him again, Derek melted into it.

He was completely oblivious to the fact that Lydia was being stalked through the corridor by the Nogitsune.

Out in the real world, Melissa noticed that Lydia was bleeding from her nose.

"Look at that. Do you see that? She's bleeding." Melissa said as she moved towards Lydia, only to be stopped by Deaton.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." The vet warned her, but made no attempt to stop Peter from walking over.

"What's happening? What is happening to her?" Melissa demanded, full of concern.

Peter dropped to his knees in front of Lydia and tried to get through to his pack mate.

"Lydia, can you hear me? Lydia, you're stronger than this." He told her as Erica, Deaton, and Melissa watched in concern. "Okay, you need to concentrate. Lydia." He implored, then he tried a little louder. "Lydia!"

Inside the mindscape, Lydia heard him and was able to run away from the Nogitsune.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

"Why are we in a supply closet?" Derek asked his mate with a smile. "We have a nice comfy bed at home."

"We're hiding." Stiles whispered.

"From who?" Derek asked in amusement. "Everyone knows we're together."

"Don't worry about it." Stiles assured him and tried to kiss him again, but Derek was catching on.

"Why are we here, Stiles?" Derek asked. "Why can't we go home?"

"Shh." Stiles whispered as he held a finger up to Derek's lips. "It's okay. Don't worry."

Stiles kissed him again, but Derek didn't close his eyes and melt into it like he previously had, instead, he let his mind work and focused on the truth.

"This isn't right." Derek realised as he broke the kiss and studied his mate.

"What? What do you mean?" Stiles as he leaned in for another kiss, only to be gently pushed back.

"Your hair should be longer." Derek pointed out with a frown. "We should be at home. We shouldn't be hiding from anyone. This is wrong. This is a trick. It's a trick."

It was then that Derek heard Peter shouting for Lydia. He felt an odd sensation and lifted his hand to his nose and found it bleeding.

"No!" 'Stiles' screamed in anger as Derek turned and left the supply closet, pushing through the door at the same time as Lydia made her way through the double doors at the end of the school corridors.

They both passed through their respective doors to find themselves in a huge white room.

Derek ran until he saw Lydia, then came to her side.

Far across the white room, they saw Stiles and the Nogitsune playing a board game on the Nemeton.

Derek took off in a sprint and Lydia quickly followed suit. She was surprised to find that she could keep up with the alpha, but then she realised that they weren't getting any closer to Stiles.

"Stiles! Stiles! Stiles, over here!" Lydia called out.

"Don't waste your breath." Derek advised calmly. "There's only one way to get through to him now."

"Stiles is part of our pack." Lydia realised with a smile. "He's possessed, but he's still part of the pack."

"Exactly, and how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack?" Derek asked rhetorically. Lydia looked at him and smirked. The Nogitsune also looked, sensing what was to come. Derek met its gaze and smirked as he shifted his face. "They don't shout, they howl."

With that, Derek let out a mighty howl worthy of an alpha.

The pieces on the board rattled with the force of it, and Stiles was snapped out of his trance.

Stiles looked to see his mate and one of his best friends. Reality came back and he knew what he had to do. Stiles looked at the Nogitsune defiantly and swiped with his arms, clearing the board.

The nogitsune roared angrily as it felt its control slip away. Not just its control over Stiles, but its control over all the wolves it afflicted with its flies.

All across town, the raging werewolves dropped to the ground and expelled the flies from within them, finally free of the murderous rage.

Derek awoke in the living room and quickly removed his claws from Stiles and Lydia.

"Did it work?" Derek asked as Lydia scrambled off of the couch and into the waiting arms of Erica, who immediately began taking her pain. "Did it work?"

"What happened?" Lydia asked as she grasped her wound. "Why didn't it work?"

"Because it's not science, Lydia. It's supernatural." Peter explained.

"Maybe you should bite him now," Erica suggested, just as Boyd came running into the room.

"Cora and Jackson just collapsed with blood coming out of their noses." Boyd told the group quickly. "I called Allison and she and Kira said the same thing happened to Isaac and the twins."

"Okay, call Chris and ask if the same thing happened to Scott," Derek ordered.

"Has anybody checked on Malia?" Peter asked with a frown.

At the mention of her name, Stiles woke up. He was gasping through his nose, and quickly pried the tape off of his mouth. Evidently, the Kanima venom had worn off.

Derek watched in horrified awe as Stiles began pulling what appeared to be a long strip of bandaging from his mouth like a magic trick. A gross magic trick but still.

Derek, Lydia, Melissa, Deaton, Peter, Boyd and Erica all watched as Stiles collapsed to his knees and gagged, seemingly throwing up the bandage into a messy pile on the floor. Dark clouds of smoke accompanied the bandage as it came out in an unnaturally long string. But soon, Stiles pulled the last of it out and gasped in relief.

Then thick black smoke appeared over the pile of bandages, and a hand rose out. Stiles staggered away and the hand rose, revealing an arm clad in brown leather.

The seven watching backed away when a bandaged figure crawled up out of the pile.

Derek watched as what appeared to be the nogitsune seemed surprised and scared by the bandages covering it. He didn't flinch when the creature suddenly staggered towards them groaning, but Peter and Boyd lunged into action. Erica stood protectively in front of Deaton, Melissa, and Lydia at first, but dropped her protective stance when Boyd and Peter got the banaged being pinned to the other sofa.

"Hold him." Peter growled at Boyd as they struggled to keep the creature pinned.

"I'm trying." Boyd replied, letting his frustration show, and used it to his advantage. It gave him a small boost in strength, allowing him to pin the creature down.

"Derek, care to lend a hand?" Peter huffed.

"Wait." Derek replied as he came between Peter and Body, and reached out to unwrap the bandages around the face of the person he was drawn to like a moth to a flame. He knew who it was without even having to think about it. The pull of their bond was too strong to be mistaken for anything else.

Soon enough, Stiles' face was revealed, and Derek had never been happier.

"Derek?" Stiles gasped in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that he was really free and looking at his mate.

"Derek." Deaton called out.

The alpha looked at him and he in turn looked at the front door, which was now wide open.

Derek looked to the other couch and found that the nogitsune was no longer near it. He then looked to where he'd last seen Lydia and found her gone too.

"Where are they?" Derek demanded but nobody had an answer for him. "Where are they?" He repeated as he ran to the door and looked for her. "Lydia! Lydia! Lydia!"

Stiles sat there, covered in bandages, listening to Derek call out Lydia's name in desperation, feeling lower than he'd ever been. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to trap the nogitsune the second he separated but now it was out there and it had Lydia. Stiles felt like it was his fault, even though he wasn't quite sure how. He needed somebody to blame and, as long as the nogitsune was alive and free, Stiles could only blame himself.

-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-

It was a mess. Deaton had to physically pry the flies out of the wolves, starting with Cora and Jackson, then he left the house to help the others. He went to the station first to help Scott before making his way to the school.

Once he was gone, an awkward silence fell over the pack.

Nobody moved for a while, just stared at Stiles as he silently rid himself of the bandages and the Nogitsune's jacket.

"Good." Stiles finally spoke after a few minutes. "You all need to keep your distance until Kira's mum can bring the Oni here to test me. Or kill me."

"Stiles? Is it really you?" Melissa asked softly.

"I don't know, so you all need to stay back until we do." Stiles ordered, fighting the urge to run towards them and hug each and every one of them, even Peter.

"You sure sound like you." Erica commented.

"But this could be another trick. We need to be sure I'm really me. I haven't got my phone, can someone call Mrs Yukimura? Erica, Kira used your phone to text her the other night, right?"

"Well, yeah, but are we sure we want to trust her? I mean, she told Scott and Kira we have to kill you." Erica replied skeptically.

"If I didn't fully separate from the Nogitsune, and it just duplicated itself somehow, we need to know." Stiles stated sternly.

"You're you, I can feel it." Derek declared as he returned from searching for Lydia, his alpha hearing picking up on their conversation as he made his way back after failing to catch a scent.

"You can't be sure." Stiles argued instead of tackling his mate in a hug like he wanted to. "Trust me, there have been plenty of times when you thought we were alone but the Nogitsune was in control."

"Are you referring to the night you went out to prank Coach, when it took control in our bedroom? Or that time in the kitchen when it took over while you were holding a knife? Or-" Derek asked calmly, only to be cut off by his mate.

"Okay, fine, you did notice." Stiles conceded, relieved that Derek could tell when it wasn't really him, even before he understood what was happening. "But that doesn't mean it's safe. This thing is strong, Derek, maybe even stronger than you. It got the drop on you at the loft."

"Only now I won't hold back because I won't be afraid of hurting you." Derek argued calmly. "You're here now, so I'll be able to truly fight back."

"What if that's not enough?" Stiles asked.

"It will be." Derek replied confidently. "Now, Melissa is going to take you upstairs and check to make sure you're okay."

"But-" Stiles tried to argue that it wasn't safe for Melissa to be alone with him, but Derek cut him off.

"Now, or I won't let Erica call Noshiko." Derek threatened.

"Wait, you actually want me to call her?" Erica asked incredulously.

"Being marked with the 'self' kanji is the only way Stiles will believe that he's truly himself." Derek stated knowingly. "So, Stiles, are you going to let Melissa check you over or not?"

"Fine," Stiles grumbled. "Call her first then I will."

Derek easily agreed to that and Erica reluctantly pulled out her phone.

A/N: I hope this chapter is okay. Please let me know what you think.