chapter seventy-seven
a credible threat
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"When I agreed to him being in the pack, I did not agree to sharing my backseat!"
Liam rolled his eyes as he tried to scoot further away from Kennedy. "I don't know if you remember, but I didn't get a choice. What were you doing when I got bit? Oh right! Sleeping with your boyfriend!" He snapped with wide eyes.
"It was my birthday!"
"And I'm your birthday present!"
Stiles shouted, "Knock it off!" Causing the two to go quiet. Kennedy and Liam looked at each other, then Scott and Stiles in the front.
Scott looked down at his phone, "He's headed to the school." He told the group as he read his most recent message from Chris Argent.
Liam scooted forwards, "Why's Parrish headed to the school?"
Kennedy scooted forwards also, shoving Liam out of her way. "Because it's not Parrish. At least not right now." She told him with a straight face.
"Okay, why's a Hellhound going to the school?"
"Cause he's got a yearning for higher education." Stiles stated sarcastically. "Liam, Hellhound's at the school, so, we're going to the school. Okay?" Kennedy nodded her head as Stiles shifted gears, speeding down the road.
Beacon Hills High was empty and silent, from what Kennedy could tell as she climbed out of Stiles's jeep. She looked around, flinching at the harsh sound of the passenger door slamming. Kennedy, Scott, and Stiles all slowly turned to look at Liam.
"Sorry,"
Kennedy sighed, rolling her eyes as she lead the way to meet up with Chris. He met them not too far from the Jeep, where Scott asked, "Where's Parrish?"
"I lost him. He's moving too fast." Chris told them
Liam looked to his left, his eyes widening, "Scott." The others looked over. "That guy's not moving at all."
Kennedy frowned at the body in the middle of the cement. Stiles smacked Scott, who was already walking closer. Stiles followed a few steps behind. Kennedy stood in between Scott and Chris. To be honest, Kennedy wasn't sure what good she'd do. After all, she still hadn't re-triggered her werewolf side yet.
The body was bloodied and torn up, They all stepped over or around it, continuing down the side walk. Not too long after the first body, was a second. Kennedy slowly looked up, and even Liam said something as they all looked at a school bus. It was filled with bodies.
One on the floor in the front slowly looked up. Kennedy felt sick as the boy reached out, "Help me." He breathed. Kennedy looked at Scott with uncertainty. The McCall took a step forward.
"It's a trap." They all snapped their heads to the sound of Hellhound Parrish. He walked into the parking lot, on an obvious mission. He stood in front of the group, listening to the boy plead to them once more. "You can't help him."
Kennedy gasped as the boy was suddenly in half. His torso and up falling to the pavement. Kennedy swallowed a lump in her throat, watching as the beast slowly stood up. His figure took up most of the bus. His shining eyes stared down the group.
Stiles pulled Kennedy closer to him, "That's big. No one said it was that big."
"I did." Liam reminded.
The Beast roared, and suddenly Parrish ignited in flames as he roared back. The Beast turned around, making his way through the bus. Kennedy and the others watched Parrish run around. The Beast of Gevaudan jumped out the front window, Parrish chasing after it. The group all watched in both confusion and fear.
"What the hell's happening?" Scott asked, unable to believe what he just saw.
Kennedy looked towards Chris, who's shoulders slouched as he tilted his head. "It's getting smarter." He declared. Kennedy looked back at Stiles, both of them knowing that was definitely a bad thing.
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"Mason said it's not just to transmit frequency. It's high powered. Like it has to be a really strong signal,"
It was the following morning. Kennedy sat across from Stiles, next to a standing Scott in the library. Liam was explaining to them how the Beast is attracted to different frequencies. Lydia, who was finally doing better after Eichen House, clasped her hands together and rose a brow. "And that's causing it to shift?"
Scott shook his head, "No. I don't think it's just that." Lydia looked up at the true alpha. "Last night Argent said that it's getting smarter. What if the Dread Doctors are trying to make the Beast grow faster?"
"With frequencies?" Asked Stiles.
"No, by shifting. The frequency is just the trigger. The important part is when it shifts into the werewolf." Scott explained.
Lydia looked towards Kennedy, "Like Peter." She chirped.
Scott nodded, "Right."
Kennedy pushed her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, when my dad was an Alpha, he got stronger every full moon." She recalled, "Eventually, his burns healed and he was back to normal."
"So the Dread Doctors don't want to wait for the full moon." Liam concluded, leaning back in his chair.
"They want the Beast to be as strong as possible, as fast as possible." Scott added on.
"Because of Parrish."
Lydia shook her head as she looked between everyone, "So if this is happening tonight, what are we going to do?" She asked
"Uh, we've got one clue to go on." Stiles reached into his backpack, pulling out a photo, "This came from the hospital." It was a photo of the prints the night they found Parrish. "Whoever's lurking inside the Beast is wearing a size 10 of indeterminate make." Kennedy tilted her head to study the shoe print.
Lydia rested her head in her hand as she looked up, "Indeterminate?"
"Means, it's a partial print. Basically, it was all we were able to get considering all the fire, blood and carnage."
"How many size 10s are out there?"
Stiles answered Scott's question, "Only one with Parrish's blood on the sole." He replied.
Liam leaned forwards, "So are we going to try to get the game canceled?" He inquired. Kennedy looked over at Stiles as he answered.
"No, no, we're going to play, but we're just going to hope really hard that it doesn't turn into a blood-soaked massacre." Stiles said sarcastically as Lydia and Kennedy scrunched their faces and rose their brows.
"Okay, but," Liam stuttered as he tried to find the right words. "Aren't we kind of missing out on a chance to catch this thing?" He asked as he looked between them "We don't have the who, but we have the where and the when."
Everyone noticed Liam's point. So, they all looked over at Scott. The McCall pursed his lips as he thought. "There's too many people."
Lydia shrugged sheepishly as she added on, "And we still don't actually know if it's going to happen. It just might end up being a regular lacrosse game." Everyone looked at her with questionable looks. "It's possible, right?"
"That's absolutely possible." Kennedy hummed, smiling as she shook her head. With their luck, it was unlikely of it being a regular game.
Liam tapped his hand on the table as he spoke, "So we're still getting the game canceled?" He hummed as he looked up at Scott.
"We're getting the game canceled." Everyone began grabbing their things, heading their own ways.
Kennedy walked down a different hall as the boys, frowning as her phone began to ring. It was Sloane. Kennedy slowly stopped walking, moving towards the wall. "Mom? What's going on?"
Even through the phone, Kennedy could sense something was off. "Kennedy, something happened, but I don't want you to panic. I will have everything under control." Sloane soothed as she spoke to her daughter.
"What happened? Is something wrong?" Kennedy placed her hand on the wall as she listened to her mothers breathing. Kennedy wasn't sure what to expect, but nothing could prepare Kennedy for what her mom said next.
"Your father has escaped from Eichen House."
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Peter Hale was free. Somewhere.
Kennedy didn't tell either Scott or Stiles when they all met up at the Stepping Stones Rehab Center in town. Sloane told her not to. If anyone could find Sloane's cheating back stabbing husband, it was Sloane herself. So, Kennedy pretended like Peter was still locked up in Eichen, leaving Stiles and Scott worry-free. For the most part.
The three teens were remarkably confused when they walked into the center, seeing Coach Bobby Finstock staring up at the ceiling. Kennedy stood behind the couch, looking at him with a weirded out look as the boys were on either side. Scott stammered as he looks at Coach. "Hey, Coach, it's Scott and Stiles."
Stiles and Scott sat on either side of him whilst Kennedy walked around towards the arm chair. Stiles waved his arm in front of Coach with a confused look. "Coach, You're in rehab. You didn't have a lobotomy."
"Coach?" Scott said with furrowed brows.
The Stilinski looked at the coffee table, reaching down to touch a checkers board. Suddenly, Coach grabbed Stiles's wrist, stopping the boy. "Don't you touch it." He said as he slowly looked at the boy. "I've got Nurse Gonzalez by the balls of the last three moves and she knows it."
"Let it go. You're checking out of this place now."
Coach shushed the Stilinski, chuckling. "Not a chance."
"Okay, Coach. But, we know you're fine." Scott paused as Coach continued to shush him. Kennedy frowned, confused.
"I have a debilitating disease," Coach hummed as he pretended to drink from an invisible bottle. "It's called I'm not going to take another arrow to my stomach-phobia. Look it up."
Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Nobody's shooting arrows at anyone, okay? We just need you to coach the charity game." Kennedy hummed with her usual gentle smile. Nine times out of ten, that would win Bobby's heart, but not today.
Coach scoffed, "Charity? Not a chance."
"How exactly have you been conning them into letting you stay here?" Stiles asked as he looked around.
Fiddling with his fingers, Bobby Finstock stammers, "I, uh, I have relapses. It's serious. I've had seven of them."
The Hale tilted her head. "So once a month?" She asked as she looked at Coach questioningly.
"Yeah, you see, uh, every time they are just about to discharge me, I relapse." He explained to the three teenagers.
Stiles nodded, keeping a straight and unamused face. "And no one's noticed that pattern?"
"I have phenomenal health insurance." Hissed Coach. Kennedy sighed, leaning her elbows onto her legs. "So why don't you guys get the hell out of here. I hate charity games. They're meaningless."
"I don't think the charities would agree." Stiles said with concerned eyes.
"What's it for this year?"
Kennedy spoke up, "Cancer."
"For or against?"
Stiles gawked in shock, "Against, Coach. Deeply against."
"Yeah, okay, well, I'm deeply not interested." Coach deadpanned.
Scott watched as Bobby whistled, pointing towards the door. "Coach, we need you."
Bobby Finstock smiled as he placed a hand on both Stiles and Scott's backs. "I will never coach there again."
Kennedy's eyes lit up, "That's okay." Bobby looked at her, "We don't actually need you to coach the game." Kennedy stood up, smiling mischievously. "In fact, we need you to forfeit."
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Kennedy sat at a table in a science classroom. She played with her hair as she looked at the pack. The only person missing being Lydia, who was helping Jordan Parrish with something. Scott stood there, "Mason you know your part,"
"Corey and I break into the Devenford Bus and search their shoes."
"I take out the TV vans." Malia said as she stepped over, walking towards Kennedy.
Kennedy pushes her hair back as she speaks up, "I keep an eye out for any danger towards the crowd, create necessary distractions, and wing it." She said as she rests her head in her hand.
"Right before the whistle, Coach forfeits the game." Stiles adds.
Liam, whos sitting next to Mason, says, "The rest of us are looking for a size 10 with a bloody sole."
Malia looks around, "Just out of curiosity," Kennedy turned toward her sister. "What if it doesn't work? What if we have to go up against this thing? I mean, I hate to bring up bad memories but Scott's still healing from what Theo did to him."
"No, he's not." Kira blurted.
Kennedy frowned. "She's right." Scott confirmed. Everyone looked towards the True Alpha, watching him pull up his shirt to reveal his bare torso. Usually, there was still a gaping wound. But not now. "It happened the night we got Lydia out of Eichen House. I healed." Kennedy looked at the rest of the group, "When were all together again, when we were a pack."
Liam chimed in, "The Beast doesn't have a pack."
"Not like us." Scott said as he gestured towards Stiles. The McCall looked towards Kennedy. "We can do this, guys." Kennedy smiled, feeling a surge of optimism. "No one dies tonight."
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Okay, so first flaw of their plan; Coach didn't forfeit. However, with the help of Brett's sister, Lori, Kennedy and the other werewolf were scouring the bleachers for any bloody shoes.
"So, your mom was an evil alpha but is now a good alpha even though she stole your powers?" Lori questioned as she looked at the shoes of a teenage boy.
Kennedy craned her neck, "Yeah, kinda." She hummed as she moved along.
Lori followed, getting towards the ground to look at some other shoes. "So why don't you steal your power back? It was yours to begin with,"
The Hale girl paused, thinking about it. Why hadn't she? Hell, she had barely cared after her mom told her what she had done. Why not? Kennedy shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I didn't care." She said simply. "I was an Alpha, and now I'm not. But my mom is, and she is good at it."
"She doesn't even have a pack."
Kennedy paused, "I think she does, kind of." Kennedy said as she looked at another pair of shoes. "My dad, Cora, and Derek. At least Derek and Cora." Kennedy sighed as she looked at the last shoe in her row. "I didn't find anything."
"Neither did I," Lori said. The two girls went to go to the next set of bleachers, when a lacrosse player pushed by. Kennedy frowned, recognizing the number as Kira's. The two girls looked back towards Scott. "I'll go check on her," Lori offered, walking towards the direction the kitsune went. Kennedy looked back at Scott, shrugging her shoulders, making her way towards the next set of bleachers.
If she had to be honest, Kennedy hated not having her werewolf abilities. She remembers the times she was human, living with Ben Stallard and the biggest worry she had was how she was going to ignore Lydia and Jackson. But now? She had her life, her friends lives, everyone in Beacon Hills lives to worry about and now she was human again. She didn't think humans were weak, but she thought she was weak as a human. If the Beast shows up, Kennedy isn't sure what she'll do, because she is no match.
Kennedy looked at every person's shoes at every Bleacher. She saw the scoreboard, and they were losing, badly. She even went to around and checked news peoples shoes as best as she could. No bloody prints. It would be easier if she could follow a scent, but she couldn't. Kennedy groaned in frustration, pulling out her phone to see a text from her mom. According to Sloane, she was certain Peter was still in town. He was probably hiding until he made his next move. Kennedy exhaled sharply, looking around for another idea.
They were losing time. Scott was off the field, Kennedy noticed, but that didn't stop her from worrying about what they might need to do. She walked around to the bleachers, seeing Hayden. "Hey,"
The chimera looked over in surprise. "Hi, Kenny," She chirped with a small smile. The two girls sat side by side. Hayden rubbed her hands together, "I know what you did to save your friend," Kennedy looked over in confusion. "Dying, putting down your werewolf powers, risking your life again. It's really amazing." Hayden said as she looked at the Hale girl. Kennedy huffed, shrugging.
"She'd do the same for me," Kennedy said as she wrapped her jacket around herself tighter. "They all would."
"I know that," Hayden told the auburn haired girl, "Which is why I wanted to tell you I'm with you guys. Liam was right about Scott, and about you." Kennedy tilted her head, wondering what the Beta boy said about her.
Kennedy tilted her head, smiling. "I'm glad," They looked back at the field to see Liam scoring a shot. The two girls cheer, knowing that's exactly what they need to get the others more time. Kennedy looks behind her, pausing when she see's Stiles messing with a girl named Sydney's shoe. Liam scores again, causing everyone to cheer. The girl turned around, glaring at Stiles. Stiles shushed her, watching Sydney and Hayden sit down. Stiles took the chance to try and grab Sydney's shoe again. With back and forth with Stiles pulling and Sydney shoving, Stiles bonked his head on the bleachers. Kennedy gasped, covering her mouth with laughter. Hayden and Sydney confusingly look behind them as Kennedy hopped off, trudging down to her boyfriend.
Stiles was on the grass, holding his head in pain. Kennedy kneeled down. "I already checked everyone. Twice. I don't think the Beast is in the audience."
"I know, I was just, uh, double checking. Or, triple checking, I guess." Stiles groaned out. Kennedy rolled her eyes, holding out a hand. Stiles was pulled two his feet, still holding his head in pain. "Oh, god, I think I need some ice."
Meanwhile, Malia was arguing with Corinne. Her mother. It was the reason why Malia hadn't gotten the last truck. Corinne had been looking around, trying to piece together who exactly was trying to save. "You want to do this now? Fine." Malia flicked out her claws, glaring down the woman who gave birth to her. Corinne looked over Malia's shoulder.
"It's her, isn't it?" Malia paused, looking over her shoulder. "That's the one." It was Kennedy, Malia's half-sister. Malia's anchor. Kennedy was tending to Stiles's head injury. She pressed the ice to his forehead and he swatted her away.
Kennedy sighed in frustration. "Stiles, I don't want you to have a bump on your head,"
Stiles swatted her again, "I can put ice on my own head, thank you," Stiles mumbled as he took the ice pack from his girlfriends hand. "Liam's getting us overtime, which means we probably-"
A loud ringing sound and electricity shorting out caused everyone to cover their ears at the freakishly loud volume. Kennedy and Stiles looked around in confusion, the mic feedback was painful for everyone around. The couple looked around as the ringing eventually ended. Stiles looked at his girlfriend. "That was bad, that was really bad."
"Ken, look," Stiles pointed towards the field, where Liam had taken off his helmet and started running. Kennedy pushed Stiles slightly, running after the beta.
Liam's eyes were gold as he ran towards the growling. "Liam! Liam, wait!" Kennedy called out. Stiles grabbed his girlfriends wrist, the two of them stumbling to a stop as something came out from behind a bus.
The Beast of Gevaudan.