To be defeated by a name

Chapter 10

Feeling uncomfortable in such a social situation after having not been used to it for the past few years, Stiles quietly excused himself from the room, going up to the fridge and grabbing a beer, listening to the hum of chatter from the kitchen.

It felt weird to be in his house again, it having both changed yet stayed exactly the same since he was last here. The pictures of him and his mom were still around, unmoved for over a decade, yet photos of Melissa and Scott with his dad joined them, reminding him of just how much he had missed since he was gone.

The vibrate from his phone pulled him from his musings then. Taking it out of his pocket he studied the screen and, as the name Irene Kennedy flashed on the display he made his way out the back door, face grim, knowing she wouldn't call unless it was urgent.

"What's happened." He asked as soon as he picked up the call.

"They call him The Black Fox. Intel from our sources says that he is Ghost's younger brother, dead set on killing you out of vengeance for his brother."

"Ghost killed himself the minute he stole that plutonium," Stiles snarled out, curling his fists so tightly his knuckles started going white.

"I know but his brother, he's sneaky. Stays on the sidelines and allows his henchmen to take the fall. Every case he's involved in is indirectly so we haven't been able to bring him in but he's become sloppy. He wants us to know he's after you. He wants you to go to him yourself."

"Location?"

"Unknown but last seen heading towards your current location. Mitch, I want to send reinforcements down to you. The guy has managed to build himself a fairly capable army. If he is heading towards you then I think it is safe to assume he has discovered your real identity. Your friends and family could be in danger." She told him, the tone of her voice letting him know how serious this guy was.

"Am I the only target?"

"As far as we are aware yes, but we are not ruling out the possibility that this is all a distraction for some greater plot. We need you on alert until our men make it down to you."

"I'll keep you updated. Can you send his files down to the sheriff's office?" Stiles asked. He wanted to look into the guy more and see if he had any possible links to something bigger.

"Already done. Be safe Mitch and don't do anything stupid. Don't engage unless he threatens you or I instruct you to. Is that clear?" Irene asked, her voice abrupt to allow him no room for argument.

"Crystal. Thank you, Irene." He said before hanging up the call. Stiles could feel his heart hammering in his chest but it wasn't out of fear for himself, more for his friends and especially his dad, Melissa and Mason, the ones in the pack who were still human. Stiles knew that Mason had been taking self-defence classes since learning about the supernatural so wasn't entirely defenceless, and his dad and Melissa could handle themselves, but he still worried.

As he turned towards the door however, he saw a figure standing there.

"Derek," He greeted, nodding his head towards the wolf, "What can I do for you?"

"Who's Irene?"

"My boss. She was calling to warn me of a man named The Black Fox threatening to kill me in revenge for his brother. They believe he is heading towards Beacon Hills and wanted me to warn all of you about the danger so I want the whole pack on high alert, he could already be here." Stiles answered, looking Derek straight in the eye to prove he was serious.

"What did you do to his brother?" Derek asked, seeming genuinely curious over what happened and not recoiling away in disgust or fear like Stiles knew some of the pack would.

"My first case. They called him Ghost and I took him down when he attempted to blow up the US Navy's Sixth Fleet with a nuclear bomb he made out of hijacked plutonium. I managed to kill him and get the bomb in the water where it blew up and narrowly missed the fleet. Look I'm sorry I brought this kind of trouble with me."

"It's fine Stiles. Having you back and having to deal with some bad guys along the way is a lot better than you being dead." Derek replied, taking Stiles aback with his answer.

"Thanks, sourwolf, I always knew you cared." Stiles joked, earning himself a small grin from the man in question, "Anyway, can you promise me that if he does turn up you'll look after my dad and Melissa? If he went after any members of the pack he'd see them as easy pickings and if something happened to any of you because of revenge against me I wouldn't forgive myself."

"You have my word, Stiles. If you're planning on going after the guy, however, at least take me or someone else with you. I can tell you work alone and that's all well and good but if you die after we've just found out you're alive... well I don't think any of us will get over that."

"Thanks, Derek. Seriously, I appreciate it. We'll need to talk to the rest of the pack in the morning about this." He thanked before making his way up to his old room to get some rest, his dad having said it had been hardly touched.

Tomorrow would be a long day.