Stiles and Erica walked together to find Allison when Erica sniffed him.
"What?" He frowned.
"You smell more like Derek than usual." She smirked.
"Of course I do." He grumbled, remembering the kiss from the night before.
"...You know, I used to have a crush on you Stiles, but you ignored me."
"Oh. I-I'm sorry. You're an amazing girl, Erica, but I guess my interests have been rather obsessive in the past." He rubbed the back of his next, somewhat flattered.
"You know, I know you like Derek." She smiled gently up at him, finally leaving his seductive aura aside. "So don't give up. Keep trying. Derek...is probably just lonely and doesn't realise it. I think you two deserve each other."
"How did you know-"
"Derek's grumpier than usual. I figured something happened between you two. Can I ask what?"
"You're gonna make me tell you anyway." Stiles chuckled. "We uh...I confessed, that night at the pool. He rejected me, but I pushed, and we kissed."
"That's good, isn't it? What, did you put out first date?"
"No...He said it was a 'one-off' kiss. So I yelled at him and have been ignoring him as much as possible honestly." Stiles run a hand over his buzzed hair. He could feel it getting longer.
"Like I said, keep trying. He's gotta break at some point, right?" Erica shrugged, stumbling when Allison ran into the min her exit from the boys locker room.
"Allison? Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, Jackson just lost control a bit, but he calmed down and -"
"Miss Argent!" Allison stood up straight at the call. Mr Harris. "Detention."
"What?" Erica rebutted in shock.
"What the hell, man?"
"Shall I add you to detention too, Reyes, Stilinski? I'll see you at 3 in the library." Jackson walked out, raising a brow at the group. "You too, Whittemore. For illicit activities on school grounds." Harris narrowed his eyes as Allison and Jackson in accusation. "3 o'clock, library, all of you."
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"You know, Derek plan to kill Jackson doesn't seem so bad right about now." Erica drawled as she watched Matt sort out books in the corner.
"We're here to save him, not kill him, Erica. People are friends, not food." He whispered sarcastically, Erica glaring at the Nemo reference. Stiles followed her line of sight to Matt and frowned. "What if the masters, Matt?"
"What evidence do you have?"
"...He's...uh..."
"You just think he's creepy." She smirked.
"He is. Very. The guy gives me a weird vibe."
"No, no motive." Erica hummed.
"God, you've been hanging out with Isaac too much." He grumbled as he watched Jackson stand and be excused, Harris following after him.
Once Harris was out of the room, Stiles and Erica moved to Allison's table.
"So, what happened to Jackson's parents?" Stiles asked Erica now that Allison could hear too.
"Okay so, my father was the insurance examiner who worked the car accident that killed Jackson's parents, and he's gonna get a large settlement once he's 18."
"Great, rich prick gets richer. Thanks capitalism." Stiles snarked.
"Anyway..." Erica took out her laptop from her bag, bringing up the accident report on her screen. "Gordon and Margaret Miller died in a car crash on June 14th, 1995. Happened on Route 23, mile marker 2 off Old Deacon Road in Beacon Hills. Apparently, the skid pattern suggested the car swerved and they lost control. Both were DOA at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital."
"Jacksons birthday is 15th of June, 1995." Stiles corrected. "Which means..."
"His mother was dead before he was born." Allison breathed.
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Stiles, Allison and Erica shelved books as told as they discussed how Jackson was born after his mother died.
"I've heard of cases of C-sections on dead women to save the child." Stiles put out.
"And his parents accident may have been a murder, since that would fall in line with the Kanima myth." Allison supplied.
"No wonder he's an ass." Stiles murmured, chest suddenly tightening with the cold, scaly feeling. "I'm... I'm gonna go talk to Jackson." He knew now what this meant. He felt it every time he was close to Jackson. Whenever he was about to turn.
Stiles walked around to the other shelf.
"Jackson? Oh my god." He looked down at Matt, unconscious on the floor with a visible scratch along his nape. He heard a hiss from above, looking up at the half-Kanima Jackson that jumped from stack to stack over Stiles head, crashing into lights and knocking down ceiling tiles. Stiles jumped back from falling lights, running after Jackson.
"Erica! Allison! Run!" He demanded as he felt the spark inside him feast on his anger, eyes glowing a hot red as his claws grew and teeth protruded. His snout became more defined as he wolfed out.
"Stiles!" He turned to Erica's voice, Jackson right behind the glowing eyed girl before he slit her nape, incapacitating her. She fell to the ground, motionless as Stiles roared.
It shuddered the walls, Allison holding a hand over her chest in fear as she watched Jackson passed Stiles coolly. She reached for a dagger in her back pocket, but Jackson seemed possessed, like a marionette with someone pulling the strings.
He picked up a dusty white piece of chalk between his fingers and wrote on the chalkboard, eyes on them.
Stay out of my way or I'll kill all of you
Stiles reeled in his anger, standing more protectively over Erica before Jackson jumped through the window and disappeared. He cursed, checking outside but he seem to vanish.
"Stiles!" He turned back at Allison's shrill voice, eyes zoning in on Erica's convulsing body.p
"Erica." His voice is caught in his throat as he kneeled by her and scooped her into his arms.
"We have to get an ambulance, Stiles."
"No. No, I have to get her to Derek." Derek would know what to do. "Just focus on getting Matt an ambulance, okay?" He ran out of the library with his beta close to his chest, focused on getting her help more than catching Jackson.
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"Derek! DEREK! I need help!" Stiles screamed for the green eyed werewolf, laying Erica on the floor. "It's okay, Erica, everything will be okay." He promised in a watery tone, blinking back tears of worry.
"What happened?" Derek eyes widened as he kneeled by her.
"I-I, I let her get scratched, Derek. By the Kanima and now she's - oh god, please tell me you know how to fix this." He was freaking out, wishing he had hair to pull in this moment.
"I think I do." Derek gripped her arm in both hands, snapping the bone loudly as she screamed, twisting it bloody as venom seeping out. Stiles bit back the urge to vomit. Slowly, Erica stopped shuddering, taking in a deep breath as she relaxed.
"You make a good Batman." She whispered, brushing her hand against his cheek weakly. He took her hand, holding it against his wet cheek as he laughed hoarsely.
"I'm glad you're okay." Stiles wiped the sweat from her brow fondly, blinking away the relief tears. Much better than sad ones. "Rest, Erica. I need a moment with Derek." She smiled knowingly.
"M'kay, Alpha." She murmured in a teasing tone, closing her eyes to rest.
"You needed a moment with me?" Derek met Stiles' eyes and he nodded slowly, standing and brushing dirt off his knees.
"I'll say this once, Derek. We have to catch Jackson and the master. So, let's just put aside our personal matters for now. Then, you'll only have to see with the pack around." It hurts him to say it, and Derek looked down, nodding.
"For the best, I guess."
Far back at the Hale House, Lydia opened her hand filled with wolfsbane bloom and the moonlight shine upon them. Under her feet, Peter Hale's body rested, dead and buried.
Waiting.
30 BITES