"All right, but if she's turning, would they actually kill her?" I asked in worry, Allison sat next to me as Stiles drove in the direction Scott led him. I was starting to get more worried by the minute. I literally just started dating Lydia. Everything was supposed to be good and then she got bitten. Now she was possibly turning into a werewolf and being hunted by the Argents which could possibly end with her being dead.
She was caught up in our mess now.
"I don't know." Allison answered, shaking her head, "They won't tell me anything, okay, all they say is, "We'll talk after Kate's funeral, when the others get here.""
Stiles glanced in his rear view mirror to look at us, "What others?"
The girl sighed, "I don't know, they won't tell me that either."
"Okay, your family's got some serious communication issues to work on." Stiles commented before I nodded in agreement, the boy looking at my brother who was sniffing the air to follow the scent. I wondered if it was weird for Allison to see her boyfriend like this. "Scott, are we going the right way?"
"Take the next right!" He exclaimed.
Stiles followed his directions, eventually leading us into the preserve. It didn't take long before we reached the Hale house. God, I was so tired of this freaking house. Anytime we came here, it never ended well. Well, except for the last time we came here and Derek killed the Alpha. Then again that wasn't really good for Scott, if Derek was telling the truth about the cure coming from killing the one who bit you. Now it didn't matter, Scott was stuck like this for good.
"She came here?" Stiles asked skeptically, looking back at Scott as the four of us slowly approached the front yard.
Scott nodded, his breath visible as the cold air reamed in, "Yeah, this is where the scent leads."
"Has Lydia ever been here?" I looked around in confusion.
Allison shrugged as she tugged down the ends of her beanie, "Not with me. Maybe she came here on instinct, like she was looking for Derek."
Scott rose his eyebrows, "You mean - looking for an Alpha..."
"Wolves need a pack, right?"
"Not all of them." Scott answered, clearly feeling like a bit of an outcast by her question. He didn't have a pack and he didn't seem like he wanted one either. I mean, every other werewolf we've met has been a person with... questionable methods. I couldn't imagine Scott joining Derek or following him or anything like that.
"But would she have been drawn to an Alpha? Is it an instinct to be part of a pack?" Allison wondered.
Scott nodded, "Yeah, we're - we're stronger in packs."
"Like strength in numbers." Allison concluded.
"No, like - like, literally stronger, faster, better in every way."
"That the same for an Alpha?"
Scott nodded, "Yeah, it'll make Derek stronger too."
"Whoa, hey, look at this." Stiles said, drawing our attention. He was kneeling next to a tree, his fingertips under a long, silver wire that was tied around the tree and ran to another one across from it. "You see this? I think it's a tripwire."
Allison and I walked over to the boy whilst Scott stood closer to the house, looking around for any sign of Lydia. Stiles lifted the wire without warning, triggering a whipping sound.
"Stiles." Scott called.
"Yeah, buddy." He answered, causing us to turn around. "Oh." Scott was hanging upside down, the wire wrapped around his ankle. I refrained from chuckling as he swung slowly in the air.
"Next time you see a tripwire - don't trip it."
"Yeah, noted." Stiles said, starting to walk over to Scott to help him down.
Scott then held out his hands. "Wait! Someone's coming. Hide." He whisper-yelled, causing the three of us to scurry, falling with our backs behind some tree a couple feet down.
It didn't take long before we heard footsteps approaching the area, Stiles sending me a worried look. I tried to quiet my breathing, worried that whoever it was would hear me.
I really needed to start working out.
"Scott." I heard a man say.
"Mr. Argent." Scott greeted. I glanced from behind the tree to see Mr. Argent standing in front of my brother alongside two other men clad in black cargo pants and gray sweaters.
"How you doing?" Allison's father asked the boy.
"Good. You know, just hangin' out." Scott said, mimicking a yawn. I stifled a chuckle as I shook my head at his pun, earning a nudge from Stiles telling me to shut up. I slapped his arm, causing him to start a slap fight with me to which Allison quickly ended by shushing us. I sighed as we tried to stick to the tree in hopes that the hunters didn't hear us. "Is this one of yours? It's, uh, good. Nice design. Very constricting."
"What are you doing out here, Scott?"
"Looking for my friend."
"Ah, that's right. Lydia's in your group now, isn't she? Part of the clique? Is that the word you use? Or is there another way to put it? Part of your pack?" Mr. Argent hinted, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Actually, clique sounds about right to me." Scott corrected. I could tell he was a little annoyed as well.
"I hope so. 'Cause I know she's a friend of Allison's, and one special circumstance, such as yourself - one, I can handle. Not two." There was a silence for a while, causing me to glance at Stiles and Allison. "Scott, do you know what a hemicorporectomy is?"
"I have a feeling I don't want to."
"A medical term for amputating somebody at the waist. Cutting them in half. Takes a tremendous amount of strength to cut through tissue and bone like that. Let's hope a demonstration never becomes necessary." He threatened calmly.
I heard footsteps again, waiting for them to get quieter and quieter before they eventually disappeared. I let out a breath as the three of us walked up to Scott.
"You okay?" Allison asked.
"Just another life - threatening conversation with your dad." Scott shrugged.
The girl looked back at the trip wire, "Devin, help me with this." She said, motioning me over to the tree. She seemed like she knew how to undo the wire or whatever, I didn't know, I was just hoping it wouldn't end with Scott dropping from the air and breaking his neck. I mean, it would probably heal. But still, it would hurt like a bitch.
"Thanks. But I think I got it." I heard Scott say, causing us to turn back to him. He was now standing on the ground, showcasing his claws as he smirked. Allison grinned in surprise, glancing at me as I chuckled. "You comin'?" He asked, half of his body turned towards the house.
We nodded before we joined the two boys in the search at the house.
>
We never found Lydia.
She wasn't at the house. Scott said that was where the scent lead but there was no sign of her anywhere so we were all utterly confused. I was confused. I didn't understand why she would just take off... naked. She had to be freezing out there.
I just hoped she was okay.
It was the next morning before school and I was trying not to show how anxious I was but I didn't think it was working. Stiles kept telling us all this information about what his Dad heard this morning talking to one of the graveyard shift workers at the cemetery.
"She ate the liver?" Scott asked in disbelief as we walked onto the sidewalk to enter the school.
"No, I didn't say she ate it. I just said it was missing. And you know what? Even if she did, so what? It's the most nutritious part of the body." Stiles defended.
I resisted the urge to gag at the thought of Lydia devouring some dead person's liver. "I'm sorry but there's no way. Scott never ate anyone's liver."
Stiles scoffed, "Yeah, right, 'cause when it comes to werewolves, he's a real model of self - control." Scott feigned offense before Stiles held up his finger. "Actually, wait - hold on. You're the test case for this, so we should be going over what happened to you."
"What do you mean?" Scott asked in confusion.
"I mean like what was going through your mind when you were turning, you know? What were you drawn to?"
"Allison." He said, squinting as he realized that Stiles was gonna slightly annoyed. I didn't blame him. I was kinda getting tired of the Allison parade myself. I mean, she was my girl but I didn't have to hear about it all the time.
Stiles groaned, "Okay, nothing else? Seriously?"
"Nothing else mattered." My brother smiled. He then turned to me. "But, no, that's good, though, right? 'Cause the night that Lydia was bit, she was with you."
I rolled my eyes as I shrugged my backpack over my shoulder, "Yeah, but she was looking for - Jackson." I said right as he came into my line of view, the boy handing a dollar to a homeless guy who searching in the trash. I then heard him call security to escort the man off of the property.
He seemed... more full of himself than usual.
He had sunglasses covering his eyes and he was wearing a scarf with a leather jacket when it was like 80 degrees outside. He passed us to get into the school, a smug look on his face before he turned and kept looking forward.
"What's he so happy about?" I grumbled, Stiles shaking his head before the three of us entered the school.
>
I hated that I wasn't a boy.
I didn't get to go in the boys locker room so I missed out on all of the fun. Like when Scott told me the only reason he even got Jackson to take Allison to the formal was because he kicked his ass in the locker room. Like that was quality content I missed out on!
Honestly, I'd thought about joining Lacrosse just because I kept missing everything. And it wasn't as fun just going to all of the practices to watch just in case something good happened.
I didn't feel particularly good about this but we were now at Kate's funeral, hiding behind some statue in the graveyard a couple feet away from the actual funeral. It felt so weird spying on the Argents like this, especially being so close. I just hoped nobody caught us.
Allison knew that we were coming.
She sent Scott a small, sad smile before she looked back to her father who stood next to her. Her mother sat alongside her as they all stood in front of Kate's closed casket, dozens of paparazzi taking pictures as the Sheriff's deputies tried to keep them behind the barricades.
It was a high profile event since Kate was literally the reason why Derek's whole family burned to death.
"Who the hell is that?" Stiles asked, seeing a tall, white-haired old man approach the Argents. He gave Allison's Dad a hug before greeting the rest of them.
"He's definitely an Argent." I commented.
Stiles sighed, "Hey, you know, maybe they're just here for the funeral. I mean - what if they're the non - hunting side of the family? There could be non - hunting Argents. It's possible, right?"
I snorted, "I doubt it. They seem pretty hardcore about this stuff."
"I know what they are." Scott said, turning to us. "They're reinforcements."
I swallowed thickly as I let his words sink in. So they were calling in more people to hunt people like my brother. And possibly my girlfriend. This was never-ending.
I gasped when someone grabbed Scott and Stiles by the back of their shirts. I stood up instantly, turning to see Sheriff Stilinski holding the two of them with a look of anger on his face.
Crap.
Stilinski's face was literally red as he grit his teeth, "The three of you. Unbelievable. Devin, pick up my tie." Clearly, we were not supposed to be doing this. To be honest, I wasn't fully comfortable with this method of motion either but it was the time.
I quickly scooped up the man's tie that fell on the ground. "Sorry. I know, I'm supposed to ask. Stiles murmured as his Dad dragged the two of them away, motioning me to follow with a pointed look.
He led the three of us to the back of his squad car before he got in the driver's seat.
"4 - 1 - 5 Adam." His radio sounded.
He pressed the button on his radio before responding, "I didn't copy that. Did you say 4 - 1 - 5 Adam?"
I looked at Stiles for elaboration, the boy lowering his head as he listened in, "Disturbance in a car." He informed quietly.
"They were taking a heart attack victim - D.O.A. But on the way to the hospital, something hit 'em. "
Sheriff furrowed his brows, "What - hit the ambulance?"
"Copy that. I'm standing in front of it right now. Something got in the back. There's blood everywhere. And I mean everywhere." The officer sounded genuinely disgusted.
"All right, unit 4, what's your 20?"
"Route 5 and post. I swear, I've never seen anything like this."
I then felt Stiles nudging me, the boy pulling me along as he and Scott bolted out of the back seat. I groaned as I ran alongside the two boys.
By the time we got there, night had already fallen. We stood in the shadows near the entrance to the preserve as we saw the bloodied ambulance. It literally made wanna throw up, I had to look away before I became sick. There was blood smeared all over the walls and even outside on the doors, it looked like a massacre.
"What the hell is Lydia doing?" I whispered. I didn't wanna believe it. I couldn't believe she was actually eating people. I hated this. She was probably so alone and scared and has no idea what was happening to her. I hated how out of touch I felt with her right now.
"I don't know." Scott shook his head.
"What kept you from doing that, was it Allison?" Stiles wondered, the three of us looking at the ambulance.
"I hope so."
I sighed, looking to my brother, "Do you need to get closer?"
Scott closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent, "No, I got it."
I nodded as he looked at me, his eyes changing to an expression of concern. "I just need you to find her, okay? Please, just - just find her." I told him, feeling my eyes well up for a second.
"I will." He assured me before I nodded, allowing the boy to run off.
I sighed as I turned back to Stiles who frowned. "It's gonna be okay." He told me, putting his hand on my shoulder as he walked me the front where the cops were standing, probably in hopes to find his Dad who we had just run away from. I kind of didn't understand why we ran away if we were just going to the same place anyway.
Now Stiles was just gonna get in more trouble with his Dad.
Stiles' Dad did give us a hard time but he wasn't as angry as I thought he would be. I let Stiles do all the talking as I just stood there, waiting for Scott to show up with Lydia. I knew he could do it. I trusted him and I believed in him. He was showing more control this time around. He was getting in touch with his abilities. He could do it.
Now that he didn't have to worry about Allison finding out about him, he was much more focused on other things like actually helping other people.
I felt Stiles tap my shoulder, the boy holding a dazed look in his eyes as I looked at him. I furrowed my eyebrows as I followed his gaze, my eyes being met with a naked and shivering Lydia Martin who was slowly approaching the scene from the woods.
My eyes widened in shock as I swallowed thickly, the boy next to me fainting at the sight of the naked girl. "Well, is anyone gonna get me a coat?" She asked expectantly, raising her arms which exposed her... chest. "Jesus." I mumbled, looking down as I ran over to her whilst pulling the oversized black hoodie from over my head. "Here." I said as I tried to cover her, putting the hoodie over her head. The redhead shrugged it on, the piece of clothing falling all the way to her knees as I was left in a black tank top.
She didn't make eye contact with me as she was probably embarrassed. She also looked scared out of her mind, tucking her hands under her arms as she shivered. "You're okay." I whispered in disbelief before I wrapped my arms around her, the girl resting her head on my chest. "You're okay."