"That's amazing!"
Melanie groaned at Derek's yell. Her head was pounding. She went to bring her hand up to her head, but her hands were tied behind her back she herself was tied around what felt like a rock.
She slowly opened her eyes and as soon as she did, Melanie saw Derek, Eli, Noah, Deaton, and Mason tied to of pillars on a building.
Remembering where she was and what happened to her the last time she was awake, Melanie gasped, catching everyone around hers attention. She looked down, expecting to see a hole her chest from being impaled, but she was completely fine.
"You're awake."
Melanie turned her head to the left at the sound of Theo's voice. He was sitting a few feet to the left of Melanie, tied up to his own rock, facing her.
"Are you okay?" Another voice spoke. This one's was to Melanie's right. Right beside her.
She didn't understand how on Earth she didn't notice someone squished beside her on the rock, but she turned her head nonetheless and realized Liam was tied to the same rock as her, their legs and shoulders touching from how close they were. Melanie's eyes widened when her and Liam's noses brushed. Her cheeks started to tinge red, but she didn't notice because all she could think about was how Liam's cheeks were pinking up.
Noah groaned from the rock in front of Melanie, making her and Liam look away from each other. They watched as the man moved to crane his head back so he can somewhat see Derek. "Hey, Derek. Maybe you want to be a little more subtle with your antics." Noah suggested before he turned his head to his right, looking off at something in the distance. Melanie lifted her head to look at the man and then where he was lookin, his eyes on the four Oni guarding the barrier.
Melanie shook her head, looking at the Oni before turning back to the Sheriff. "The Nogitsune isn't gonna kill us, not yet. He put us here to watch him win. We're here for our pain."
Suddenly, the sound of a crowd cheering faintly echoed through the forest. Melanie's head turned to look up at Liam beside her, Liam already looking down at her.
"Do you guys hear that?" Theo asked and Liam nodded, his eyes glued onto Melanie even though Theo was talking. "It sounds like..." He started before Melanie smiled. "Lacrosse." She whispered.
Melanies smile was wiped clean off her face when a low growl/hiss-like noise echoed through the woods and a chill went down Melanie's spine as a voice she hadn't heard in fifteen years spoke. "A man looks at a photograph of another man. He says, "Brothers and sisters have I none. But this man's father is my father's son." Who is the man in the photograph?"
Melanie turned her head to the direction she heard the Nogitsune's voice and watched s as he stood in front of Derek, their faces inches away from each other. Derek looked like he was watching Eli and even though she was far away from him, Melanie could see his jaw clenched. "My son."
The Nogitsune chuckled, turning around to face Derek's son. He started walking towards the boy, making him tense, not wanting the spirit to touch him.
"Don't be afraid." Derek advised his son, who shook his head, trying to act calm. "Oh, of this guy? No, no way." He said before the Nogitsune raised his hand and started to touch Eli's face. "Oh, my God, he's touching me!"
"The son of Derek Hale. But not a wolf yet, is he?" The fox asked before a faint, but familiar roar made Liam, Derek, Malia and Eli's eyes glow. Even though Melanie Theo's eyes didn't glow with the four, they as well as Noah, Deaton and Mason, knew it was Scott who roared.
Melanie started to worry about Scott. She didn't know where he was, but he wasn't around where she was. He could be in danger.
"Eli, did you see that? Did you see your eyes?" Derek asked his son excitedly, a big smile on his face at the sight of Eli's eyes glowing gold. Eli looked at his dad with furrowed brows as he caught his breath, the gold in his eyes slowly fading away back to their normal color.
"How the hell am I supposed to see my eyes? They're the things I use to see." Eli asked, making Melanie rolled her eyes and turn to look up at Liam beside her. "Holy shit. He's just like Stiles." She muttered. Liam looked down at her, a faint smile on his face as he nodded his head in agreement.
As he looked into Melanie's eyes longer, Liam's gaze softened and he visibly relaxed. "You didn't answer my question earlier." He whispered, even though most of the people around his had enhanced hearing and could hear what he was saying. Melanie's brows furrowed, a confused smile slowly growing on her face. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Liam repeated, looking Melanie up and down for any injuries before he looked back into her eyes.
Melanie's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened at Liam's persistence and visual worry. She blinked a couple of times before she gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm okay." She whispered, her eyes guiltily falling down to Liam's lips for a split second.
She quickly looked back up into Liam's eyes, hoping the boy didn't notice. "Are you okay?" Melanie asked, her voice was quiet and softer and her breath fanning across Liams face due to theirs close proximity.
Liam's mouth opened and closed. He looked down his body as if he didn't already know the answer before he looked back to Melanie. Their noses brushed for a second time and just like the first time, they both blushed.
"Yeah, I'm good." Liam whispered to Melanie. The girl broke into a big smile at his words. Liam felt the butterflies he's felt in his stomach thousands—hell, millions of times because of Melanie.
Eli's screaming, made Melanie and Liam turn away to each other and to the younger boy. "Let's put one of the players back in the game." The Nogitsune roared out. They watched as the fox spirit ripped Eli out of his restraints and through him ff the edge of the architecture.
Eli screamed as he flew through the air when suddenly, he disappeared into blue smoke. Melanie blinked in shock. She didn't know the Nogitsune had so much power, he didn't use any of these fifteen years ago when she and the pack fought him.
The Nogitsune started walking down the steps of the architecture and towards Melanie, Liam, and Theo. He smiled menacingly as he walked closer and closer to Melanie, eyeing only her.
"Melanie Yukimura... We meet again." His voice was low and Melanie kept her eyes in front of her, especially when the Nogitsune crouched down beside her. "How is your mother?" The spirit asked and Melanie clenched her jaw. She didn't notice it, but Liam did too.
A week before her graduation, Melanie finally decided to make the first move and reach out to her parents, inviting them to her ceremony. After Belle's death, Melanie didn't want to lose more people.
When the day of her graduation came, only Melanie's father, Ken showed up. Noshiko was no where in sight. After that, Melanie decided to start keeping in touch with her father and only her father.
Melanie finally looked at the spirit. She was about to open her mouth to make a comeback, but before she could, the Nogitsune let out a shocked breath. "So it's true... Getting caught by the Wild Hunt takes away part of you." The Nogitsune whispered, raising his hand and touched her cheek. "You've lost part of your ability to stay so young."
Liam started to thrash in his ties, his eyes flashing yellow as he glared at the spirit. "Don't touch her." Liam growled out, but the Nogitsune ignored him, watching to get a reaction out of the fellow kitsune in front of him.
If Melanie wasn't trapped in that moment, she probably would've stabbed the fox with her katana right then and there for what he said. It didn't matter if what he said was true, it's just rude.
When Melanie hit her early twenties, she started to notice little things about herself that shouldn't have been happening if she aged like any normal kitsune. She noticed she was aging. Slowly. But not as slow as a kitsune should.
Melanie went to Deaton to try and figure out what was happening to her and the man explained that there was a possibility that entering the Wild Hunt twice could've changing how she ages. That instead of aging at the same rate any other kitsune would, she would age a little faster. Around the same range a werewolf would.
Melanie didn't mind hearing those words. Considering everyone supernatural she knew aged at the same rate—the rate of werewolves, Melanie has always been terrified of the fact that she would outlive them being that kitsunes live longer than most supernatural beings. Now that she aged like werewolves, she didn't have to worry about that anymore.
"You're losing everything, Melanie." The Nogitsune teased, pushing a piece of hair behind Melanie's ear, purposefully scratching the side of her face when he passed it. Melanie groaned in pain as Liam and Theo both growled, getting angrier by the Nogitsune by the second.
The Nogitsune kept his attention on just Melanie, tilting his head in a taunting manner as he continued. "Your sister, your parents, your best friend," The spirit turned his head in Liams direction before turning back to Melanie. "The love of your life."
Melanie felt a lump form in her throat at not just those words, but Liam tensing beside her.
"For a kitsune who lost her immortality, you seem to be... stuck in time." The Nogitsune dragged out. Melanie shut her eyes and held in her breath as the Nogitsune reached towards Melanie's neck.
Melanie knew he was reaching for Liam's engagement ring around her neck and she tried to get out of the foxes grasp, but considering she had been tied up, it was pointless. He grabbed the tiny piece of gold chain that had been wrapped around her neck and pulled the necklace out from under her shirt.
Melanie could've sworn she heard the Nogitsune chuckle before he pulled the chain, breaking it from around Melanie's neck. She winced at the small burn she felt on the back of her neck as the Nogitsune held the ring carefully in his hands and out of the corner of her eyes, Melanie could see Liam look at the ring with wide eyes.
The Nogitsune swung the chain by his fingertips, purposely making sure Liam saw it. Melanie felt her eyes start to tear up as she kept her eyes on the jewelry, too frightened to look anywhere else.
"A beautiful ring..." The Nogitsune whispered, facing Liam for just a split second before realizing Liam wasn't even watching him. He was watching Melanie. The spirit then turned back to Melanie. "It's a shame it's never been worn properly."
With that, the Nogitsune threw the piece of jewelry over his shoulder, letting the chain and the ring fly through the air and get lost in the grass of the forest. "No!" Melanie screamed as she straightened up, hoping to break free from her restraints but instead, knocking the wind out of her since she was tied up by the chest as she watched the ring slowly disappearing from her eyesight.
Melanie watched the last place she saw the ring as the tears that were sitting in her eyes finally started to cascade down her face. And from beside her, Liam watched her with a look just as heartbroken.
—take a shot everytime I said "kitsune", "nogitsune", "fox" or "spirit"
kinda hated this chapter🤦♀️my bad😒😒
ALSO I REALLY HOPE THAT THING ABOUT MELANIE AGING MADE SENSE(PLEASE TELL ME IT DID😭)
guys... why are there only two/three chapters left...😀😀