Eliana's POV:
Sheriff Stilinski studied himself in a small mirror and muttered, "Oh, I should've gotten a haircut."
Stiles stepped closer to his dad. "Well, you know, someone your age should be happy you still have hair to cut."
I rolled my eyes at Stiles' words as Scott said, "Well, I think you look great."
Sheriff Stilinski gave him a nod. "Well, thank you son I should have had. Oh, what the hell am I doing? This is a terrible idea." He tugged at his tie and started loosening it.
I glanced at Stiles. "Do you ever shut up? Sheriff, whoever you're going on a date with is lucky."
Stiles immediately fixed his dad's tie. "What, Dad... Dad, it's one date, okay? The town of Beacon Hills won't implode while you're out with one woman. Or man."
Sheriff Stilinski gave me a smile. "Thank you, Eliana." He turned to his son. "It's a woman, Stiles."
Stiles grinned goofily. "Okay."
"A very beautiful woman."
I tilted my head. "Who?"
Stiles nodded and asked, "Who is she?"
The sheriff shook his head. "None of your business. Either of you."
I frowned and Stiles narrowed his eyes and demanded, "I want to know. She does too."
"Stilinski! Hart!" a boy in handcuffs yelled. He was being escorted by a couple deputies. "Stilinski! Hart!"
We walked into the hallway and saw the boy standing in the middle of the room.
"I'm gonna kill you two," the boy said.
I scoffed. "Really, now."
Sheriff Stilinski was unfazed at the boy's words. "Donovan, if you think that shocks me or Officer Hart, remember it was well documented in your Anger Expression Inventory. Deputies, escort the prisoner out."
The deputies walked towards Donovan, who kept his eyes on the sheriff and my dad. "I'm not angry like I'm gonna throw a brick in your windows. I'm angry like I'm going to find you two, I'm going to get a knife, and I'm going to stab you two with it until you're both dead. And when you two look at me and you two ask me why, remember now." Donovan's lawyer was warning him to stop talking, but he wasn't listening. "Because this is why."
There was a moment of silence before Stiles spoke. "Wow, that was awesome. That was awesome. That was great. We do one more? Give us another one, maybe like Christopher Walken this time, you know?" Donovan looked at him blankly. "Okay, you know what? It's fine. You'll have plenty of time to work on it when you're in your tiny, little cell. You know, just stuck there, forever."
I swatted the back of Stiles' head. "You're taunting the guy who wants to kill our dads. Shut the fuck up."
Donovan smirked, looking me up and down. "What are you gonna do?"
I scoffed. "Don't test me, asshole."
Donovan attempted to lunge at us. I flicked my claws and a menacing smile crossed my face. Parrish tightened his grip on Donovan.
As he was taken away, the sheriff turned to the us and Scott asked, "What the hell's an Anger Expression Inventory?"
Stiles looked at his friend and sighed. "It's a test you take when you're applying to become a deputy."
Scott's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That guy wanted to be a cop?"
I smirked. "Maybe he'll change his mind now that he's getting the full law enforcement experience."
They left the station and Roscoe's engine started to sputter. I sighed, annoyed, as Stiles kept trying to turn the key. He noticed me and Scott looking at him in concern. "It's anxiety."
"What is?" Scott questioned. "The chemosignals?"
Stiles nodded sarcastically. "Oh, I'm well aware of how you all monitor my emotional state."
"You okay?" Scott and I asked as Stiles nodded. "All right."
Though, I could tell Stiles was lying. He reeked of anxiety.
Stiles pulled up a picture on his phone. "I got this from Braeden a few hours ago. That's the first real bit of information we've gotten on the Desert Wolf in months."
"The Desert Wolf did this?" Scott asked.
"Yeah," Stiles confirmed. "And I'm the one who's been pulling on this thread."
"Maybe you should stop," Scott suggested.
"I can't, Scott. It's not up to me."
I turned to Stiles. "Try the ignition."
Stiles did so and the engine purred.
We drove to the scene of a murder and caught the eye of the sheriff and my dad and the sheriff said, "Boys. Eliana. Scott, Eliana, you both saw this kid, Donovan. He... He wasn't like you two, right?"
Scott shook his head. "I don't think so. Unless he knows how to hide his scent."
I shook my head as well. "No, he definitely wasn't like me or Scott."
The sheriff sighed as he pursed his lips. "Well, human or otherwise, this kid might have just murdered his lawyer and mortally wounded two officers. We've got an APB out on him, but you think you can find him faster?"
"I can try."
Sheriff Stilinski nodded and handed Scott a walkie talkie. "All right. Keep it on channel two."
I chose to stay back with Stiles who asked, "Dad, Officer Hart, what if it wasn't Donovan?"
The sheriff and my dad raised an eyebrow before my dad said, "I'm guessing you've both already got a theory?"
I noticed Theo standing above everything on a bridge support. "Yeah, I think we do."
We heard screaming moments later from the radio and the sheriff said, "Scott, is that you?"
"Yeah, I found Donovan. He's completely freaked out. He keeps saying some name."
"What name?"
"Theo," Stiles and I whispered.
"Tracy. He keeps saying Tracy."
"Tracy who?" Sheriff Stilinski and my dad wondered.
"Stewart. Tracy Stewart," Lydia told them.
The next day at school, we were standing between the buses as Lydia explained Tracy's situation. "Tracy wasn't just having trouble sleeping. It was a real disorder. It was night terrors."
I shuddered. I'd had my fair share of night terrors regarding Lucille. They were terrifying.
"Well, now she's the night terror," Stiles said. "Especially since no one can find her."
"Okay, I know we're all tired and miserable..." Scott began, looking between us before catching Mason's eye. "Except for you."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Mason apologized. "This is all just mind-blowing." His eyes trailed down the line of teens before focusing on Kira. "You're a kitsune. I don't even know what that is."
Kira gave him an awkward smile. "I'm still learning."
Stiles frowned at Scott's beta. "Liam, we said you could tell him. Not invite him to the inner circle."
Mason pointed to himself, obviously excited. "I'm in the inner circle?"
"No," Stiles, Liam and I retorted.
"One lone serial-killing wolf," Malia scoffed.
Stiles threw his hands in the air. "Uh, she only killed one person, you know. The other two were mauled."
I frowned at him. "And that justifies her actions?"
"I say we put her down," Malia stated.
We glanced between each other, seeing Mason's nod and wide eyes. "Intense."
I shook my head. "We're not putting her down, Malia. Not yet."
"Why not?" Malia asked.
"She's still a person."
Scott nodded. "Ella's right. Let's concentrate on catching her first. We'll figure out the rest later."
Stiles sighed. "Well, we need a plan. That usually seems to help us get killers."
"Agreed. Anybody got any ideas?"
As we attempted to come up with a plan, Stiles showed Malia the pictures Braeden had sent him of the Desert Wolf's victims.
Malia looked at the photos. "My mother did this?"
Stiles nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, Braeden said these guys were bad. You know, really bad."
"So they deserved it?"
I shook her head. "No. They didn't. They were good people."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me."
Malia nodded, glancing between me and Stiles. "I guess we know one thing now. She's good at her job."
We separated, making our way to class and Liam ran into me. "Sorry."
I frowned. "What's wrong?"
"A friend of mine. Something's wrong. I need Scott."
"He's in AP Bio. Come on. I'll take you to the room."
I led him to the AP Bio room and we saw Scott sitting in his chair. Liam started flailing his hands, but Scott wasn't understanding.
I glanced at Liam. "I got an idea."
I ran off and pulled the fire alarm with a smirk. "Works every time."
Liam led us to Mr. Yukimura's class. As soon as we entered, Tracy grabbed another girl's arm so tightly her arm started bleeding.
Scott tried calling her name. "Tracy. Tracy." She started hissing and breathing heavily. "Tracy."
"Tracy, let her go," I ordered.
"Hey, you're hurting me," the other girl protested.
"Tracy, let her go," Scott said.
"They're coming," Tracy said. "They're coming for all of us."
She fell to the ground, eyes wide open. A silvery substance poured out of her. I knelt next to the substance and took a small sample of it. "We need to take this to Deaton."
"Why?" the girl asked.
"He's sort of an expert. Who are you?"
"Hayden. What sort of expert?"
"He's a doctor. A veterinarian."
Hayden gave me a small smile and followed Liam outside.
Scott and Mr. Yukimura carried Tracy from the school. Malia, Stiles and I followed.
They got to the Animal Clinic and Deaton shone a flashlight in Tracy's eyes. "Pupils dilate under normal conditions." Tracy started breathing heavily. "Heart rate is 250. Evidence of an allogenic skin graft on the right shoulder. Now, this silvery substance at her lips is not something I've seen. It almost looks like mercury."
I studied the substance closer. "You're right."
Malia frowned. "Uh... Can't you just give her a shot of something?"
"She doesn't look to be in any pain," Deaton replied.
"I meant a shot to kill her."
"I generally prescribe a code of ethics that frowns on such measures."
"Malia, you know we're not going to do that," Scott told her.
Stiles frowned. "How do you know she's not going to kill us? She makes a decent point. Either way, eventually I'm going to have to let my dad know she's here. Ella's gonna have to let her dad make she's here."
"Agreed."
Deaton gave us a small smile. "And while I may argue against euthanasia, I'm not opposed to a little... Extra security." He spread a circle of Mountain Ash around the clinic.
Deaton noticed Stiles' expression and said, "Don't worry, Stiles. Tracy won't be able to cross a line of Mountain Ash. She's not going anywhere."
Stiles nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's kind of what I'm afraid of."
"Well, you and I will be able to get out of here no problem. You three. Not so much."
Malia touched the barrier and it rippled behind her hand. "Weird."
Deaton turned to his employee. "Scott, would you mind holding her down? I'm going to be trying a few more invasive tests."
He tried to cut Tracy's skin with a scalpel, but it broke and her skin remained uninjured.
"I think you're gonna need a bigger blade," Stiles commented.
Deaton noticed something moving under her skin and said, "Now, this is interesting."
I looked closer. "What is that?"
Deaton shook his head. "I have no idea."
Scott's phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket.
"What is it?" Stiles wondered.
"It's my mom," he answered. "It's about the driver of the prison transport. She's saying he's awake and talking."
Deaton looked up. "Malia, help me turn her over, please."
The two of them flipped Tracy onto her back.
Scott's phone buzzed a second time. "Driver didn't have a stroke or heart attack. Says it was more like his body just locked up..."
"Like he was paralyzed," Stiles realized as the three of us exchanged a look.
Scott nodded. "I think I know what she is."
Malia crossed her arms. "Do you care to enlighten the rest of us? Because this doesn't look too good."
"It wasn't a werewolf," Stiles told her.
I groaned. "Kanimas again? Oh son of a bitch."
Tracy's back broke open and a bony tail shot out. She shot up and crossed the Mountain Ash border. Stiles frowned. "Hey, Deaton, how the hell did she get through the Mountain Ash?"
Deaton shook his head. "I don't know. It's a barrier no supernatural creature should be able to cross."
"Scott did it," Stiles noted. "Ella can probably do it."
"Once, but it almost killed me," Scott said. "Ella could do it with severe concentration."
"We should've killed her," Stiles grumbled as they were stricken to the ground. "Meanwhile, she's probably on her way to killing someone."
Deaton instructed us, "Listen, everyone. We need to concentrate. Scott, Eliana and Malia, you three will probably be able to move long before Stiles and I can."
"Focus on what?" Malia asked.
"Healing," Scott and I told her.
"That's right," Deaton agreed.
"I don't know how to tell my body to heal," Malia said.
"Malia, calm down," Scott replied.
"I can't calm down. I can't move."
"It won't be long. We're going to be okay."
"Doc, how do we focus?"
"Think of a body part," Deaton instructed. "Your hands, your feet, even just the tip of your fingers. Imagine them moving. See it in your mind and your body will follow."
"I'm pretty sure I just felt my right leg move," Stiles said. "Uh, yep, definitely felt it. Like a twinge, spasm, something."
"I'm going to have to disagree. And I think I hold an informed opinion." He glanced to the werecoyote. "Malia."
"I don't think she cut me that deep," Malia said.
"Keep going. Keep moving."
Malia groaned and grunted.
"What's happening?" Stiles asked. "I can't see. What's happening?"
Malia and I got up and Scott said, "Malia, Ella, save her."
We nodded and ran to the school.
Kira was applying pressure to Lydia's wound. I sighed. "Tracy ran off. Lydia, your life force is wavering."
Lydia looked at us. "Malia. Ella. Listen... Tracy... She thinks... She thinks she's asleep. She thinks she's dreaming. It's a night terror."
Malia shook her head. "I... I don't know what that..."
"She... She's not dreaming. She's not asleep. Get her to understand."
"Malia! Eliana!" the sheriff and my dad called.
"They're in the basement," Lydia informed.
"They?" Malia and I repeated.
"Tracy... And my mother."
Malia and I nodded and ran off.
We reached the basement and managed to incapacitate Tracy by placing a knee to her throat.
"What's... What's happening to me?" Tracy asked.
A figure in a mask appeared and injected a needle into Tracy's neck. Mercury fluid poured from her mouth. Malia and I were grabbed and pinned to the wall.
"Terminal," a robotic voice said.
The figures phased out and Malia and I relaxed. We exchanged a worried look.