Chapter 24:
Control
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Imogen knocked on the large door which was slid open seconds later. She couldn't hide her surprise when the person who opened the door was Scott. "What are you doing here?" They both blurted out in unison.
"I came to talk to Derek about you." Scott told her as she stepped inside. "You know advice on this whole helping you control your werewolf side."
"Oh, okay." The two walked over to where Derek was sitting on his new couch. Her eyes fell on her cousin. It was weird to think about him that way since he had always been Derek Hale, the guy who turned teenagers back in their sophomore year. "I actually came by for the same reason and also to tell you that I saw your mom."
Derek looked at her, straightening up at the mention of his mother. "You did?"
She nodded, "Yeah, it's kinda like a dream and it's been coming to me in pieces but, I do remember seeing your mom. She was curious to know how you and Cora were doing. I also saw Laura." She said, noticing how tensed up he suddenly got. "She felt guilty for leaving you alone."
"It wasn't her fault." He muttered bitterly, the reminder that it was his uncle who killed her was something he couldn't forget.
"She was happy." She confessed, causing him to stare at her in surprise. She smiled sadly, "She's not alone Derek, your parents were with her. I think they're waiting for you and Cora, when your time comes."
He could barely remember the last time he had seen his sister Laura. It was hard remembering her before seeing her dead body. "Was she really happy?"
"Well, considering she was trying to tell me about her past sexapades, I think she's okay." She told him awkwardly, her cheeks flushing at how forward her cousin had been. "I mean, your mom even had to pull her away because of how open she was being."
Scott glanced at his girlfriend, she hadn't told him any of this.
He let out chuckle, surprising the couple since he never did that. He was always serious. Except whenever he bantered with Stiles that is. Derek looked at Imogen once he stopped chuckling, "I'm happy that she's still her weird self." His sister had always been blunt with him, so he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders knowing that Laura was still herself. It made him happy to know that his family was together. "So, anyways, your a werewolf now?"
"Well partly, I mean, I can't shift like you guys do." She told him honestly.
"I tried to show her how to flick her claws out but she couldn't do it." Scott looked at Derek for answers.
Derek furrowed his brows. "What about your magic? Is it still there?"
"Yeah, I can feel it. Omar seems to think that my magic is what's keeping me from shifting since I was born a witch and somehow dying brought out my wolf side." She said, looking at her hands.
Scott watched the two start talking to each other about what they had to do during the full moon in case Imogen did lose control. The guilt was gnawing at him. He had to tell her about the bite he had given her before the full moon in a few weeks, but he didn't want her angry at him. He just got her back and the thought of her being angry at him, scared him.
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Blue eyes stared down at the white envelope in her hands with apprehension. She had yet to read the letter. It was the last thing left to her by her uncle.
Imogen chewed on her bottom lip before sighing and placing the letter back on her desk.
She couldn't do it. She wasn't ready to read the letter that her uncle left her. It had already been a couple of weeks since the funeral and the full moon was nearing. She wasn't sure what to expect.
She wasn't experiencing spurts of anger or lashing out at anyone. Though she did sometimes lose control of her eyes changing color if she felt stressed or was hit with a wave of grief.
The last couple of weeks had gone by in a blur. Stiles had introduced them all to Malia Tate who seemed to struggle with her life as a human and they had all pitched in to help her adjust. Allison had also come out of the hospital, feeling much better.
The twins had left town and Scott told them that they were always welcome to come back. Everyone seemed to notice the tension between Lydia and Aiden except for Stiles who seemed oblivious considering it was over him.
"Hey, can I come in?"
She glanced over to see her boyfriend standing at her door. She gave him a faint smile. "Of course." He walked over and sat on her bed. "How did training Malia go?" Since she seemed completely unaffected by her werewolf side, she had urged her boyfriend to help the werecoyote getting control since Isaac and Stiles alone wouldn't be much help.
He exhaled, "Well her and Isaac don't seem to really get along. I mean, he teases her and she snaps at him. Stiles is the only one who can get her to focus."
"It's probably because they bonded in Eichen House." She said, sitting down on her bed beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Speaking of which, do you know where my bracelet is? I've tried looking for it around the house and I can't find it."
He pulled back and dug into his jean pocket. "I've been holding onto it since...." He swallowed, "I had to get the clasp fixed since it was broken." He held it up for her, showing her the bracelet he had gotten her for their anniversary. "I also added another charm to it."
She looked at the charm that read Because I Love You and her lips quirked upward, a warm feeling in her chest at the words. "You're amazing, you know that right?" She whispered, looking up at her boyfriend who looked a bit red at her compliment and she gave him a peck on the cheek.
Scott merely pulled her down to lay beside him, their fingers laced together, the guilt continuing to gnaw at him.
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The growling made him flinch and the sight hurt him as he watched her thrash in her chains. "Im, you need to calm down." He said softly, it was the night of the full moon and it seemed like all that repressing her werewolf side had come out full force tonight. During the day, she had been saying how much her head would hurt and how the littlest things made her snap.
"I can't." She snarled, all her instincts were screaming at her to attack him. Her eyes glowed and the claws and fangs she couldn't get to appear were now very visible. "All I want to do is rip you apart!"
They were both currently at Lydia's lake house since it was the only place that's far enough that people wouldn't hear the growling coming from Imogen and Malia. The werecoyote was in the basement with Stiles, Lydia, and Isaac helping her. Kira was with Allison and Omar, the three were setting up traps in case the girls somehow got free from their chains.
Scott insisted that he stay with Imogen, alone. He thought that maybe he could be the one to get through to her. "No you don't. It's just the full moon talking." He said, knowing from experience when he tried to kill Stiles when he was first turned. "You can do this, Im. You just need to find an anchor."
She wavered in her anger as she stared at him through a watery gaze. "No, I can't. I-I just want this night to be over! I hate this!" She roared, pulling hard on the chains that seemed to suddenly crack under her strength. "I hate that I can't control myself! Why is this happening?!"
All the emotions she had been trying to hide in the last month seemed to suddenly burst out of her.
Scott stared at her, not caring that her chains had just broken as she fell to her knees, her claws digging into the floor. "Imogen, there's something you need to know. I bit you when you died. So if you want to be angry. Be angry at me or even hate me for lying to you because I did this to you. I'm the reason you turned." He confessed, prepared to take her hits if she decided to attack him. "I am so sorry." His eyes shut when she stood up, her head lowered so he couldn't see her expression. He felt her slam into him and he expected her to scratch him or hit him, but instead he felt her hands grip his shirt and heard her sobs. His eyes opened and he looked down at her, her claws were gone. "Im?"
"I could never hate you, Scott." She cried, her eyes shut as tears rolled down her cheeks. It wasn't that she hated werewolves but she just never wanted to be one. It wasn't who she was. She'd always been just a witch. The two dropped to their knees as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. "I-I just hate that all this is happening."
Scott looked at her, a sad look that she was crying. "How come you didn't attack me?"
"Because I love you and as much as I don't want to be a werewolf, I am and I have to deal with it." She muttered, when she heard his confession she was angry but she also couldn't blame him. If he had been the one to die, she would have done everything possible to bring him back.
He furrowed his brows, staring into her glassy blue eyes. "What brought you back?"
She pursed her lips, giving it some thought. "Uncle Ben." She said softly, her voice thick from crying. "He's always been there for me since my mom died and back when I was learning control over that summer with Grace, he was always there to cheer me on whenever I got a spell right." She sniffled. "I miss him."
"I know." He muttered, pulling her into his arms, understanding why she picked her uncle as her anchor. Her uncle had been there for her long before he had come into her life. And now since he was gone, it was understandable that she would want to hold onto him in any way she could.
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One Month Earlier:
Everyone was dressed in black, all staring at the caskets going into the ground with varying expressions. Scott's brown eyes flickered to his girlfriend standing next to him. She had barely acknowledged anyone since the moment they had told her about Ben's death.
He glanced around at the people who had shown up, only their friends had shown up along with Derek and Peter who were standing a bit further away. Although, Imogen seemed to not notice anyone around her. Her eyes were intently focused on the caskets being lowered.
When she no longer felt his gaze on her, she mouthed an incantation with her eyes focused on her uncle's casket. No one saw her do this. Everyone was too busy watching the service.
She needed to preserve her Uncle's body.
She was going to find a way to bring him back. He didn't deserve to die.
Her eyes flickered to the people around her. She couldn't tell them what she was planning. Not when they would try to stop her. She just wanted the only family she had left.