Chapter 75,"Damnatio Memoriae"
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Sitting at the dining room table, Ms. Martin clutches the handle of her coffee mug tightly, her knuckles turning white. She looks past me in a daze, refusing to meet my eyes as I stand in front of her, almost begging her to look at me. I can't believe she sent Lydia to Eichen House without even really thinking about it. She should have talked to us about it first. Granted, she is Lydia's mother, but sometimes I don't think Ms. Martin understands the world we live in. Maybe because she really doesn't.
"Ms. Martin, I know you want to help Lydia," I start with, trying to remain patient. "I want to help her too, more than anything right now, but you need to get her out of there." With Mr. Stilinski on the road to recovery, I began to focus all of my attention on Lydia. Besides the few trips I've taken to the hospital to drop off some goods for Mr. Stilinski. I've called Eichen House, reminding them of Lydia's legal adult age and how she should be able to speak for herself. When that didn't work, I actually drove to the insane asylum and demanded for them to let me see her. They threatened to call the cops and that was the first time I really didn't mind the idea of going to jail. But of course Parrish happened to be there too and he dragged me out.
I didn't make it easy for him though.
"Katherine, you need to calm down." He told me and I clenched my fists at my side, grinding my teeth together.
"No, what I need to do is get Lydia out of there." The memories of me being locked up in that hell hole resurfaced, causing me internal pain at the idea of Lydia going through that.
"Well, you're not going to be helping anyone if you're in jail for assault." He told me. I took threatening steps towards him, getting in his face which caused him to waver slightly.
"I'm so tired of people acting like I don't know what I'm doing," I said, practically seething. "I'm getting Lydia out of there, and I don't need your's or anyone else's opinion on how to do it." I gave him a shove and he stumbled back in silence as I made my way to my car, fuming in frustration.
That was a couple days ago, but standing here in the Martin's household, I can feel that frustration returning. It feels like I'm the only one trying to help Lydia.
"I can't." Ms. Martin says suddenly and I flinch.
"What do you mean, you can't?" I ask, that anger rippling in my throat.
Ms. Martin finally looks up at me, her eyes filled with pain that bore into mine. "I tried, but they won't let me." My face falls at the sight of tears glossing over her eyes. She lets go of the mug only to place her head in her hands, crying. "Oh, God," she sobs. "What have I done?" My face contorts in sorrow at the scene in front of me.
Eichen House is known for their attraction to strong Supernaturals, so if they won't let Lydia out, I think I may know a trade they'll be willing to make.
__________
Stiles and his father stand on either side of Donovan's body which is covered by a thin, mint colored blanket. The morgue is deathly silent and the air is chilling, causing goosebumps to rise on their arms. But not only is the chill causing the air to thin, but the conversation as well. Mr. Stilinski knows about Stiles and Donovan. Theo made sure of that.
"So, what, it just goes away?" Stiles asks quietly, continuing the conversation.
"Not for you," Mr. Stilinski says while shaking his head, matching Stiles' tone of voice. "The problem now is how to bear this burden. This kind of thing is not at all uncommon in law enforcement. A fatal mistake. A partner who dies. Or one who gets paralyzed. Stiles, you carry that with you." Stiles can't help but think of Katherine who would probably know this better than anyone else. The words she said to him the night she found out play in his head:
"Then who would I be if I hated you for what you did?"
She would have forgiven him in a heartbeat. But did he want to be forgiven?
Katherine and I are so similar it hurts.
"Sometimes it doesn't truly feel okay again until there's a kind of counterbalance." Mr. Stilinski continues.
"Like what?" Stiles asks, eyebrows pinched together.
"Like instead of taking a life, you manage to save one. Something like that can help, but maybe only for a moment. But the real conflict you're having now is between your head and your heart. Your head knows that the only crime you committed was surviving. But your heart? Your heart still thinks it was murder," Stiles fights back the tears forcing their way out. "So, I guess you...you gotta get your heart to catch up to your head."
I had Katherine for that.
Stiles lets out a shaky breath. "I feel like it's more than guilt though, you know, I feel like...I feel like I lost something. I feel like I can't get it back."
"You won't." Mr. Stilinski answers honestly and Stiles feels his heart break. "Not entirely. But you get a little bit by forgiving yourself. And since that's not always the easiest thing in the world to do, then maybe you start by forgiving someone else. Someone who probably really needs it."
"Someone like Scott." Stiles says.
Mr. Stilinski nods. "And Katherine." He adds. A tear falls down Stiles' face.
"I miss them, Dad." His voice cracks.
"I know, Stiles," he says while pulling his son in for a hug. "I know."
__________
The next morning I sit in my locked car, staring through the windshield at nothing as my ears ring with the silence. I drove far from the places I know, only to park beside a building I'm obviously unfamiliar with.
I haven't been able to breath right since the night I found out Stile's truth, something I accepted completely. Breaking up with him was something that I thought was right. We both need to figure things out. But I can't think straight without him. And with Lydia gone, and the trouble Theo is causing...it only feels like drowning.
I caught Argent up with everything that happened while he was gone. He sympathized with me, but also scolded me. He agreed with my second thoughts, but told me he's glad that I believed to have done the right thing. I couldn't bring myself to deny it and take back what I said.
I wanted to spend so much of my time with him, but unfortunately Argent didn't come back just to see me again. As selfish a thought that is. He told me he had things he needed to do and I haven't seen him since. It's been so nice having a father figure back in my presence that I forgot even he has a life to live. And as much as I admire Mr. Stilinski...I don't think I could burden him with my problems, considering some involve his own son.
My phone buzzes against the center console, startling me from my daze. I look down at the screen to see that I've gotten three different messages in the past five minutes.
I pick up the device to open the first message from...Stiles. My heart skips a beat at the sight of his name and when I see what he sent, heat blossoms along my cheeks.
Stiles:
<Thank you for the treats. He loves them.>
Followed by a picture of Mr. Stilinski, from his hospital bed, eating the snacks I brought. I smile lightly, happy to see that neither of them seem upset with me.
The next message I see is from Scott and I feel that sense of dread return.
Scott:
<I need you. Meet at the house.>
The last message is from Malia. Malia, who never asks anything of me.
Malia:
<I need your help. Can you come over?>
And there's that suffocation.
I've tried to be two places at once but that didn't work out well.
I know what I need to do.
I text back the person I've decided to help last.
Me:
<Let me know what's going on and I'll be there as soon as I can.>
Once the message is sent, I begin to drive to the person I'll help first, pushing back the nagging thoughts of Lydia and the other person I didn't prioritize.
I knock on the door of the small house and it immediately opens, only so far, to reveal a frantic looking Malia. When she sees that it's only me she sighs in relief, looking like a weight has been lifted off her chest. I want to smile at the sight of her, but then remember that I'm here because she needed help.
"Malia, what's wrong?" I ask. As if on cue, a grunt comes from inside the house and things seem to clatter behind her. I look at Malia in concern. "What's going on?"
Malia grabs onto my arm and pulls me inside into her living room. My eyes widen at the scene in front of me.
Braeden has a man's arms locked above him from the floor as he tries, and fails, to fight her back with a knife held tightly in his hand. Braeden, who I haven't seen since she left with Derek is right here in front of me. It must be important.
I can't help but think that something is wrong on both ends. Is Derek okay?
"A little help here!" She grunts while fighting to keep the man restrained. I flick my wrist and the knife flies out of his hand, landing a few feet away. Braeden is then able to get a better hold on him.
"Did you get anything out of him?" Malia asks from over my shoulder.
"Not yet." Braeden says through clenched teeth. I'm not even sure what exactly is going on, but if Malia got Braeden to be here with this, then I know it's serious.
"Let go of him." I say, causing Braeden to look at me in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?" She says breathlessly. I give her a stern look and finally, hesitantly, she lets go. The man immediately stands himself up but I use my magic to shove him against the fireplace in the living room, holding him in place. He tries to fight against it, groaning at the force, but soon comes to the realization that it's no use.
"Oh, how I've missed you, Little Witch." Braeden says from the floor. Usually I would be a little offended by that usage of Witch, but coming from Braeden, I take it as a compliment.
I walk over to her and take her hand to help her from the floor, and once she's righted beside me, I can't help but ask the question burning in my head.
"Is Derek..." The question trails off as if I'm ashamed to ask. Braeden gives me a knowing look.
"He's okay." She assures me and I nod in relief.
Turning back to the matter at hand, I see Malia all up in the mans' face. Braeden and I join her, ready to back her up.
"You think you can make me talk?" He asks and I narrow my eyes at him and his, what I assume to be, a Russian accent. Malia started a problem with someone from all the way out there?
"I do, actually." I say while flashing my red eyes at him. He only narrows his own eyes back at me.
"I am Spetsnaz," he says as if I should find that terrifying. "Soviet Special Forces. In battle, we kill our own wounded."
I roll my eyes then press the shield tighter against him and he chokes on air. Fear flashes in his eyes so quickly that I almost miss it.
"You could tear out my fingernails, cut my lips with razors. I'll still say nothing." He spits out.
Braeden tilts her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she says. "But your section is out of work and broke, right?" She asks and I sniff a laugh.
"You won't get a word out of me." He seethes. Braeden and Malia look to me in unison.
"Katherine, get him to talk." Malia says and I stare straight into the man's eyes and smile.
"Gladly."
Using my other hand, I let a string of my magic seep into his head and his shouts of protest vanish immediately. I don't have to ask what I'm looking for because it finds me as soon as I break through the barrier he tried to put him.
The Desert Wolf. If I can remember correctly...that's Malia's mom.
She's looking for her mother?
I force the thoughts out of his mouth and as soon as he begins to talk, I leave his head.
"The Desert Wolf was last seen close to the Canadian border," he begins with. "She won't travel by plane. She will stay away from surveillance cameras when she can."
"Then we still have some time." Braeden says to Malia. I look over at them curiously. What is Malia up to?
"There's another reason she won't fly," the man speaks up. "She's not traveling alone."
I feel the tension in the air thicken. "What do you mean?" Malia asks, her tone giving way to worry.
"She has a hostage. An animal doctor." My heart drops once I come to the realization.
Oh, no.
"Deaton." Malia states, sharing a look of pure concern with me.
Once the questioning was over and we got rid of the guy with zero recollection of any of this happening, the three of us sat down in the living room. Well, Malia and Braeden sat down, I paced.
"The Desert Wolf has Deaton and your mom is the Desert Wolf," I state, going over what we already know. "Why--why are you looking for her?" I ask Malia, stopping in my tracks to look at her.
"So I can be at least one step ahead of her," Malia says. "If I'm not, she's going to kill us...she's going to kill me."
I sigh, feeling my stomach churn at the thought of Malia getting hurt or worse, killed. Now I know why she's been MIA for a while. All her focus has been on her mother, the one who wants to kill her. Poor Malia can't catch a break in the parent department.
"Malia, whenever something's wrong, please tell me. I won't let you go through this alone."
Malia smiles lightly. "We both know you're busy," she states. "I know you've got other stuff to do today but I'm really happy that you made time to help me." She stands up from the couch to take a few steps my way.
"I want to help you in any way that I can. No matter what." I tell her.
"I know. You're a really great friend, Katherine."
I sniff a laugh. "I try." Malia pulls me in for a hug and I gladly accept it, wrapping my arms tightly around her.
I wish I could've been there for Kira before she left. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye before she disappeared with her family and I feel bad every moment of every day that I never questioned it.
"And don't worry about Deaton," she says in the hug. "I got it from here." We pull away and I look at her pointedly. "If I need your help again, I'll let you know."
"I'm counting on it." I say and she grins.
I look over at Braeden who's now standing, smiling lightly at us.
"See you later, Braeden." I say while walking over to the door.
"See you around, Little Witch." I chuckle before heading out of the house, closing the door behind me.
I exhale a long breath, finding the strength to pass over most of the Desert Wolf worries back to Malia. She said she's got it and I know she does, but I'll continue to worry about her safety. I just hope Braeden plans on staying for a little bit longer to look after her.
Once I find that pocket of peace, with Malia's worries drifting away, I head over to my car, ready to race back home to my brother.
I burst into the house, trying to remain calm as I close the door gently behind me. The house is eerily quiet which causes me to worry more.
"Scott?" I call out. Nothing but silence. My pulse pounds in my ears, replacing that silence.
I don't think he left, his motorcycle is still out there. And so was Stiles' car. Something I definitely didn't expect to see. But once I laid my eyes on it, I felt my heart flutter at the idea of seeing him. I just want to see him and be in his arms again.
"Stiles?" I say aloud, testing it. And a moment after his name leaves my lips, I watch as he appears at the top of the stairs. I fight the urge to run up the steps and engulf him in a hug. The sight of him brings me so much joy.
"Hey, Kat." He says lightly. I can feel the difference between us, or rather, the familiarity. Yet, there's still some hesitance.
"Hey." I say in the same tone of voice, watching as he walks down the stairs, closer towards me. An expression flickers over his eyes, one that reminds me of longing. "Is everything okay?" I ask. "Is your dad alright?"
Stiles nods in response. "Yeah, everything's fine." He assures me.
"Good." The awkwardness pulls at me and I find myself being unsure what to do or say. Something I hardly every feel around Stiles.
"How are you?" He asks, seeming nervous himself.
I take in a deep breath. "I've been better." I answer truthfully. He goes quiet at that.
Finally, Scott appears at the top of the stairs and I can feel myself relax.
I turn my attention towards him, pretending Stiles isn't staring at me. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner, I had something to take care of." I explain and Scott smiles lightly as he makes his way down towards us.
"It's okay, Kat," he says. "Stiles and I were just about to head out, if you want, it'd be nice to have you with us."
I look over at Stiles, trying to see what he wants. His eyes sparkle ever so slightly and I feel something tighten in my chest. Joy. He wants me to come.
I nod. "Yeah, I'll come."
"Great, let's go." Scott smiles and this time it's bigger as he looks between Stiles and I. I can imagine exactly what he's feeling with the three of us in the same room together again, this time with no tension. He's happy because things are returning back to normal between us. And so am I.
Stiles is starting to forgive and I'm learning to do the same as well. Not for him, because I forgave him so long ago, but for myself.
On the way to the warehouse, Stiles and Scott caught me up with the situation. I was aware of the chaos Theo was ensuing, but there's so much I didn't know and so much we still don't know.
So, while walking through the warehouse, examining what feels like every inch of it, it makes me believe something bad is bound to happen. Again.
Stiles and I stick together with our flashlights while Scott uses his eyes to look over the scene which the crime had taken place. A huge pool stain of blood remains on the ground and splatters of it are dried up on the objects around it. A subtle reminder of the scene back when I killed Simon. I swallow back bile.
"You see that?" Stiles asks aloud. I look up at him in a bit of confusion. Scott steps up on the other side of me and looks over the scene with a pained expression.
"I see blood." Scott says.
"Yeah, but you see where it leads?" Stiles asks while using his flashlight to follow the path. His light stops on the fallen locker, bloody claw marks slashed in the metal of the door. Scott looks over at Stiles with wide eyes before placing himself beside the locker. He readies himself to lift it up, but I use my magic to lift it off the ground and set it gently back down, away from the scene.
Scott looks over at me, a little jealous of my ability.
"Thanks, Kat." He grumbles and I sniff a laugh.
All humor vanishes once our eyes land on what the locker was covering, a hole in the floor with broken planks that uncover the opening.
The three of us walk over to it cautiously, only to stop and look down into it, noticing that it leads to a ladder.
My stomach churns as I begin to get a bad feeling about this.
Scott took the liberty of going down the ladder first, which I then followed after him and Stiles after me. It all happened without any conversing. I guess we were just afraid to say anything for fear of something crawling out to the opening of the hole.
Once the three of us are safely on the ground, we exchange readying looks before starting our journey through this floor. We walk almost silently through a dark tunnel, close together for comfort before walking into an opening where a little bit of light greets us. Finding ourselves in a tunnel full of pipes seems like the universe's take on a joke. We've been in this position one too many times this year.
Stiles puts his hand out slightly, stopping us. He adjusts his flashlight, turning the gear before creating a path in front of us with the light. A purple tint replaces the normal one, showing us something we probably wouldn't have noticed before.
Stiles gives us a look before taking the front, leading us down the path. We only get so far before his flashlight lands on two words spelled out in bold, black lettering beneath an entrance hole in the wall.
"What is that?" Scott asks.
"It looks like Latin." Stiles responds. I take a few steps towards it before kneeling down beside the words for a better look.
"'Damnatio Memoriae'." I read quietly, trying to rack my brain for any kind of familiarity of the words.
"Hold up that light," Scott says. "I'm gonna get a picture of it." I stand up but take a step back for Scott to get the picture. I keep my eyes trained on the words, trying to decipher them. 'Memoriae'...memory. That would make 'Damnatio' be--
A groan causes me to snap out of my head and I swiftly turn to see Stiles lying on the ground, his free hand holding the back of his neck in pain. Panic washes over me, but when I hear a familiar hiss, leading to a very familiar Tracy...I just feel anger.
The pipes reflect a line of electricity as another Chimera shows up to, what I've assumed they started, a fight. With two against two, I immediately pick out which one I'm going to go against, but I can see they won't make it easy.
"Katherine, behind you!" Stiles yells from his paralyzed position on the floor. I roundhouse kick Tracy, my foot connecting with her stomach. She growls in response but turns her focus on Scott.
"Scott, take Tracy." I say before turning my attention to this other Chimera. With his electricity ability, I'd rather take him on than Scott.
His hand flies out, trying to connect with my skin but I dodge it and use my magic to push him back, giving me space. I hear Scott grunt with exertion and Tracy hiss, but I force myself to keep my eyes trained on the Chimera in front of me.
A bolt of electricity spits out towards me and I quickly throw up a shield to protect myself. I watch as it bounces off the shield and connects with the Chimera. He screams out in pain before colliding with the wall behind him and landing on the ground, unconscious, beside Stiles.
"Sucks doesn't it?" Stiles asks sarcastically while unwillingly staring at the kid.
I turn back just in time to see Scott swat at Tracy who goes flying a couple feet away, landing hard on her back. She gasps for air, obviously having gotten the wind knocked out of her. Scott turns away from her, growling and baring his teeth while training his red eyes on a spot across from him.
I find myself hurrying over towards Stiles, falling on my knees beside him. I gently lay him on his back, exchanging a look with him before letting my eyes follow Scott's line of sight. And just when I land on the spot, Corey suddenly materializes in front of us. The scene has me widening my eyes in surprise.
Scott growls, testing the boy, but it's obvious that Corey won't fight. He looks terrified.
"Okay!" A familiar voice yells from nearby. Anger bubbles up in my chest and I sneer at the space beside me, the entrance, where the voice came from. I stand up, covering Stiles behind me. I just wish I could do the same for Scott, because now Theo will know for sure he's not dead like he thought he was.
Theo appears in the entrance, a smug smile on his face. "Maybe they're not ready to take on an Alpha." He says it so casually, but when his eyes land on mine, he falters as if not expecting me to be here. I didn't expect him to seem so calm with seeing Scott either.
Tracy suddenly ends up standing beside Corey, readjusting her sweater like this was some sort of training exercise. "Especially one that can smell fear." Theo adds before his eyes sweep over towards mine again. "And has an unfair advantage."
"He's got fangs!" Corey exclaims. "And she has...magic." His voice drops and so does his expression, turning into one of dread.
It suddenly occurs to me that Tracy and Corey are supposed to be dead. I guess Theo has his own agenda.
"What did you do?" Scott asks, coming to the same realization. Tracy and Corey walk over to me and I tense up, only for Tracy to sneer at me and help Corey pick up the other Chimera.
"I found some new friends," Theo answers while watching them do so, his eyes flashing towards me what feels like every few seconds. I keep watching the three in front of me, prepared to fight them away from Stiles if I have to. "I don't take rejection well." The two drag the other kid past Scott, down the tunnel away from the rest of us.
Theo steps away from the entrance nearest me, distancing himself from us. His eyes find Stiles instantly and I narrow my eyes at him, daring him to get closer.
I hear Stiles sigh from his position on the ground. "Hey, Theo." He says.
"Stiles." Theo says in greeting before he finds the two words, still lit up by the flashlight, in front of his feet. In one sudden movement, his foot lifts up before stomping on the words. The tunnel rumbles as the ground beneath his foot cracks, damaging what was once there. Shock stuns me but I don't dare give Theo that satisfaction.
"You're going to leave here thinking that you need to worry about me. But you're wrong." Theo says, nearing Scott. I immediately put up a shield between the two and Theo looks over his shoulder, flashing me a smile and a halfhearted laugh. "Oh, Katherine. How I've missed you." Stiles scoffs by my feet.
"I wanted to let you know that we're actually back on the same side," Theo adds, rounding Scott to get beside the other Chimera's. Scott turns himself to keep an eye on Theo and I make sure to have the shield follow his movements. "Because that thing...that's what we need to worry about." He gestures to the ceiling which we look towards as well. Nothing. He's referring to...whatever came out of this warehouse the other night when that murder happened. "Your pack and mine, we're gonna go back to school and pretend like we're normal teenagers, but at night we're going to be fighting for our lives."
"What is it?" Stiles asks.
"It's not a Chimera." Theo answers.
"But it's just a kid underneath. Someone like us." Scott says.
"Not anymore." Theo replies and the anxiety returns.
Scott and I gently lift up Stiles, carefully propping him up against the wall behind him. He groans at the movement, but sighs in relief once he's sitting up. I fall into a seated position beside him, letting my eyes travel over his side profile. He's so beautiful it hurts.
"He knew what it meant and I can't remember the words." Scott says in defeat.
"'Damnatio Memoriae'." I recite from memory. I stared at the words long enough to remember them. Scott looks over at me in relief.
"It means the condemnation of memory," Stiles says and I can't help the small smile that forms on my lips. Always finishing each other's sentences. "I think it also means that whatever the Dread Doctors created, whatever this last Chimera really is, it's not something new. It's something old. Really old."
With that knowledge, I think back to what it looked like from the camera footage that Stiles showed me in the car on the way here. It looked like something I've seen before. The video Lydia took of Peter those many years ago? No...but it looks like something I've seen in a book somewhere. I can't help but get that familiar twinge of pain when my mind wanders to Allison.
"So they didn't create a new creature." Scott says to no one in particular.
"They resurrected one." Stiles states. Scott and I share a nervous glance.
Whatever it is, it's something big. And we probably won't be able to defeat it unless we figure out what the hell it even is.
But even then, a memory so pushed away starts nagging at me, telling me that I already know what it is. And a feeling says that it has something to do with the Argent's.
__________
"You know about the Dread Doctors, don't you?" Chris Argent asks his father while standing in a room littered with black blooded, covered tissues that lie crumpled along the floor.
Finally healed, Gerard Argent stands tall. "So they did succeed?" He says.
"Tell me what it is." Argent says, not masking his frustration.
"Oh, not what it is. What it was," Gerard says, earning a look of confusion from his only son. "A monster whose only purpose was to kill. Not for sustenance, not for revenge, not for any rational impulse other than the drive to end life wherever it's found." He nears Argent, leaving only a gap between them. Chris looks at his father with pure hatred.
"It also has a rather personal connection to our family." Gerard concludes.
Realization passes over Argent, causing his stomach to drop. "La Bete." He states.
A wicked smile takes over Gerard's face. "The Beast of Gevaudan."
__________
Using his pointer and middle finger, Scott draws a circle in the dust on the ground. Stiles and I watch him intently.
"We need help," Scott states. "If Theo's got his own pack now then we need ours. We have to get the others back." I think to how it really is only the three of us right now. Malia's busy dealing with the Desert Wolf, Lydia's in Eichen, Kira's gone, and Liam...well, he tried to kill Scott. Will we be able to get everyone back together again?
"The others?" Stiles questions. "You mean Kira who's currently battling a homicidal fox spirit inside of her, Malia who isn't speaking to any of us, Lydia who's stuck in Eichen House, and Liam who almost killed you?" He says, voicing my exact thoughts. Besides the Malia thing. Neither of them know of my assistance to her.
"Also known as our best friends." Scott says quietly.
Stiles sighs. "Okay, how?" He asks.
"One after another." I respond with, smiling lightly at Scott for assurance.
We'll get them back.
Scott gives Stiles a look that Stiles groans at. "You're not seriously going to make me do it?"
"You're part of the pack, right?"
Stiles nods lightly. "Okay." He says.
Scott looks at me. "You too, Kat." I flash my eyes towards the unfinished symbol in the dust and smile.
Using our pointer fingers, with Stiles finally getting his mobility back, the two of us create a bigger circle around the one Scott made. Our fingers meet at the end, completing the pack's symbol.
A small smile tugs at Stiles' lips and with that, Scott and I help lift him up onto his feet.
"We need to find Kira." Scott says.
"We will." I say while keeping my arm wrapped around Stiles' waist.
"You know, I still hate that tattoo." Stiles grumbles.
"I know." Scott sighs.
I chuckle, happy to have the three of us back together again.