28 28: The Leads [3]

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*Baby~ Baby~ ohhh like~*

I picked up my phone when I saw the call was from my one and only werewolf. It was early in the evening, probably right after he finished his shift at the vet.

"Hey there."

"Hey, Stiles."

"So, spill it. What's up?" I stopped typing my assignment and gave my full attention to the call.

"I-I've been thinking." He replied.

"Okay, but just to be clear, what exactly are we talking about here?" I asked, swiveling around in my chair to face the conversation.

"About reaching out to Derek for help." Scott clarified.

"Got it." I turned serious.

"So, I thought about it, and…" He trailed off.

"And…?" I prompted.

"And I've decided to go for it." He answered with a sigh, as if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"We're running out of options, Scott." I reminded him.

"I know." He grumbled, sighing again.

"I'll pick you up in five." I said, ending the call.

Scott's shoulders slumped as he climbed into the Jeep. The short shift seemed to have worn him out more than usual.

"Your dad stopped by." He revealed, making me blink in surprise. My mind raced through the events and reached a conclusion.

"To check if the driver was attacked by an animal?" I asked.

"Yeah." He confirmed.

"And what did Mr. Deaton say?" I inquired curiously.

"He didn't say much, but your dad's suspicions are mostly focused on wolves." Scott explained.

"That makes sense." I muttered as I turned the Jeep onto Pine Forest Road, just as a police car approached from the other direction, swiftly trailing behind us.

Before long, we were parked outside Hale Manor. Calling it a 'manor' felt unfitting for its current state; Hale's haunted house seemed more appropriate.

Scott exited the Jeep, and I followed behind.

We both stood before the dark, burned wooden door. It was a miracle that the place was still standing.

I gave the door a knock, not too forceful to tear it down, but enough to be heard. There was no response from inside.

"I know you can hear me." Scott said. "I need your help."

We glanced inside through the broken windows but didn't see any movement.

"Oi! Derek!" I yelled. The door swung open, making us step back in panic.

Derek emerged from the darkness, glaring at me.

"Hey." I waved with a smile, which seemed to deepen his glare.

"Okay, I know we were part of you getting arrested, and we basically announced you being here to the hunters." Scott shrugged. "And I also don't know what happened to your sister. But I think I did something last night. I had a dream about someone, but someone else got hurt, and it turns out that part of the dream might have actually happened."

"You think you attacked the driver?" Derek asked, his glare softening slightly as he focused on Scott.

"Did you see what I did last night?" Scott inquired.

"No." Derek shook his head.

"Can you at least tell me the truth?" Scott pleaded. "Am I gonna hurt someone?"

"Yes." Derek nodded firmly.

"Can I kill someone?"

"Yes." He replied with equal intensity.

"Am I gonna kill someone?"

"Probably."

Scott sighed as he stepped back, slumping against the wood.

"Look, I can show you how to remember, how to control the shift, even on a full moon, but it's not gonna come for free."

"What do you want?" I asked, taking up the negotiation.

"You'll find out." Derek ominously said. "But for now, I'm gonna give you what you want. Go back to the bus, go inside, see it, feel it. Let your senses—sight, smell, touch—remember for you."

My ears perked up at that, a few screws in my head turning.

"That's it? Just go back?" Scott asked, almost sounding offended.

"Do you want to know what happened?"

"I just want to know if I hurt him." Scott replied.

"No, you don't." Derek smirked. "You wanna know if you will hurt her."

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By the time we reached the schoolyard, it was already night.

"Scott, you go in. I'll keep watch." I suggested.

Scott nodded nervously, climbing over the fence and making his way toward the bus, ensuring he wasn't seen in the dark shadows.

I watched as he stopped a few feet away from the bus, his breathing heavy before returning to normal.

Soon after, he pushed open the door and climbed inside, while I sat in the Jeep, listening to the police comms.

I observed as Scott began to pant with every step he took toward the rear of the vehicle. Furrowing my brows, I watched him stagger back for a moment, as if fighting an invisible enemy before pushing forward.

A few drops of rain started to fall, and I turned on the wipers.

A second later, I noticed a flashlight moving toward the bus.

"Oh shit." I cursed, immediately honking the horn.

The horn roared, and Scott dashed out of the bus, jumping over the yard fence and into the Jeep.

"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled.

I shifted gears and hit the gas, swiftly driving out of the school vicinity.

"Did it work? Do you remember?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was there last night." Scott answered, his eyes flicking between the schoolyard and the road ahead. "And the blood—lots of it—was mine."

"So you did attack him?"

"No." He denied. "I saw glowing red eyes on the bus, but they weren't mine. I think they were Derek's."

"What about the driver?"

"I think I was actually trying to protect him." His brows furrowed. "I just don't get why Derek would help me remember that he attacked the driver?"

"Unless the one who attacked the driver wasn't him." I mumbled as a realization set in.

"What?" Scott asked.

"Nothing." I shrugged it off. "It must be a pack thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Like an initiation, you do the kill together." I explained.

"Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience." Scott sarcastically mentioned.

"Yeah, but you didn't do it." I said for his reassurance. "Which means you're not a killer, and it also means that…"

"I can go out with Allison." Scott finished with a smile.

"Well, if she wants to go out with you." I grinned. "But no, I was gonna say it means you won't kill me."

"Oh yeah." Scott replied, his smile gradually fading in embarrassment. "That too."