Chapter 60: Unveiling the New Threat 

The morning sunlight streamed into the McCall house as the smell of Melissa's hearty breakfast wafted through the air. It was a day without school. And Lydia and Stiles had stayed over at Scott's house. 

After finishing their breakfast, the group gathered in the living room. Lydia, seemed unusually quiet, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for the right words. 

"I have to tell you guys something. " Lydia finally said. 

"What is it?" Stiles asked, leaning forward, his curiosity piqued. 

Lydia hesitated, biting her lip before speaking. "Yesterday, during class, I… I drew a picture." 

"What kind of picture?" Allison asked, tilting her head in confusion. 

"It was a picture of the Hale house. And all the dead hunters." She swallowed hard, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And remember… this was before they died." 

Stiles's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you can see the future?" 

Lydia nodded slowly, her expression pained. "Yes, but it's not exactly the future. It's more like… I can see death." 

Silence fell over the room. Everyone except Scott, exchanged uneasy glances before Lydia's trembling voice broke the quiet. "I'm… I'm turning into something evil, aren't I?" 

Scott smiled, his tone calm and reassuring. "Relax, Lydia. You're not evil. I know exactly what you are." 

Lydia looked at him with wide eyes. "What am I?" 

"You're a Banshee." Scott said. "Or as some call it, the Wailing Woman." 

Allison furrowed her brow. "What does that mean?" 

Scott leaned back in his seat. "A Banshee is a harbinger of death. They can sense when someone's about to die and hear the details of their death. It's not evil—it's just what they do." 

"How is that not evil?" Lydia said, her voice breaking. 

Scott shook his head. "Lydia, just because you can predict death doesn't mean you're evil. In fact, do you have any idea how lucky we are to have you in our pack? A Banshee is a rare gift." 

Stiles jumped in, his excitement bubbling over. "Yeah! You can literally predict death! When and where it's going to happen! We could use that to save people!" 

Scott said. "Yes. But a Banshee is much more than that. They're capable of reading minds. Their telepathy lets them dig deeper into someone's memories through touch, even revealing or recovering suppressed ones. Plus, they have a connection to the spiritual world or something like that."

Lydia's eyes widened. "Wait... I can do all that?"

Scott nodded. "Yes. And by the way, a Banshee also has incredibly powerful lungs, throat, and vocal cords. They can produce a sonic scream—a destructive wave of sound energy to defend themselves. And that's just a normal Banshee."

Lydia tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean, 'just a normal Banshee'? Are you saying I'm not?"

Scott shook his head with a knowing smile. "No, you're not. You're also a shapeshifter, remember? Normal Banshees can't shift."

A small smile tugged at Lydia's lips, her fear beginning to fade. "I was so scared yesterday. I couldn't sleep. I thought I was turning into a monster… but this sounds kind of cool." 

Scott smirked. "It is cool. And, for the record, Banshees are always women. It's a trait passed down through the female line of a family." 

Lydia's expression turned thoughtful. "You know, my grandmother Lorraine was admitted to Eichen House because she claimed she predicted her own death. And the night you bit me, I dreamed of her. She was terrified, and she told me, 'They're coming, Lydia. They're coming for all of us.' There was blood on her head. I thought it was just a nightmare, but now… I think it was a memory." 

Melissa, sitting nearby, spoke. "Your grandmother might have been a Banshee too, Lydia. But no one understood it back then, so they locked her away." 

Lydia sighed, relief washing over her face. "I'm just glad I found you guys. At least I know what I am." She looked at Scott with curiosity. "How do you even know all this about Banshees?" 

Scott chuckled, leaning forward with a smug grin. "Oh, you know… killed a vampire, raided his house with Stiles, found a chest full of supernatural books. Nothing special." 

Lydia's eyes lit up. "You have books on the supernatural?" 

Scott stood and brought over the chest of books, dropping it with a loud thud. "We all need to read these. Oh, and while we're at it, I need you guys to help me find something about a werewolf that feeds on human livers." 

Stiles looked up, alarmed. "Wait—did you find the thing stealing organs? And it's a werewolf?" 

Scott nodded, flipping through one of the books. "I ran into her two nights ago. She killed someone and took his organs. She's an Alpha, but she's… different, and very Strong. I could feel it the second I saw her." 

Allison's face turned serious. "Do you think she has a pack?" 

Scott nodded. "Yes. I think the Lamia we killed was one of her pack. Too bad I didn't fully read her memories, it might've given us answers." 

Melissa placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "Then let's dig through these books and see what we can find." 

The group spent the next two hours flipping through pages, searching for any mention of a creature that matched Scott's description. They found references to Wendigos and other cannibalistic monsters, but nothing seemed to fit. 

Lydia suddenly spoke up, holding a book. "I found something. It's called Papa Figo, a Brazilian monster that invades cemeteries, eats corpses, and kills disobedient children for their livers." 

Scott glanced over and shook his head. "No, that's not it. Keep looking." 

Stiles said while showing them a picture with a humanoid beast hiding behind a tree. "What about this? It's called the Hidebehind. A nocturnal monster that preys upon humans who wander the woods." 

Melissa took the book from him, her face scrunching as she read. "It says it doesn't like to be seen and lives in the woods." 

Allison leaned over, flipping a few pages. "What about this one? It's called Pishtacos, a cannibal creature from South America." 

Scott raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?" 

Allison scanned the page. "Let me see…" After reading for a moment, she shook her head. "No, it's not what we're looking for. This one hunts people and feeds on their body fat." 

Meanwhile, Lydia started staring at the book in Scott's hands with an unusual intensity, her eyes unfocused. Allison noticed and nudged her. "Lydia, are you okay?" 

But Lydia didn't respond. 

Scott, noticing her fixation, closed the book and waved it slightly. Lydia's gaze followed it. 

"Interesting…" Scott handed the book to her, curiosity evident on his face. 

Lydia, still in a daze, grabbed the book, opened it without hesitation, and immediately snapped back to reality. Looking around, she saw everyone staring at her. "What? Why are you all looking at me?" 

Scott smirked. "I think you just found what we're looking for, Lydia." 

Lydia blinked in confusion, glancing down at the open page. "How do you know this is it?" 

Stiles chimed in, his tone teasing. "Because you were in one of your psychic banshee states. Allison called you, but you didn't answer. Then, you grabbed the book from Scott and opened it without even looking at it." 

Lydia's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't remember that…" 

Scott took the book back gently. "Well, thanks anyway. Now let's see what we're dealing with." 

He scanned the page, his expression darkening as he read. "I think this is definitely it." 

Melissa leaned closer. "What is it, Scott?" 

Scott sighed and read aloud. "It's called the Vrykolakas, a type of werewolf with vampire-like traits. But unlike vampires, they're described as cannibals rather than bloodsuckers. They have a particular taste for human livers and gain power by eating the livers and spleens of other creatures. If left alone, they grow stronger and stronger. Legends say they must be killed quickly before they become too powerful." 

Melissa said. "So this creature is kind of like us. It can absorb other creatures' powers and get stronger." 

Scott nodded. "Yes." 

Allison furrowed her brows. "Are you sure this is what we're dealing with?" 

Scott exhaled deeply. "Yes. I saw the way she was looking at me. There was no fear. She was looking at me like I was the most delicious food she'd ever seen. I think she'll come after me once she's confident enough to kill me." 

Melissa's expression turned worried. "This is dangerous, Scott." 

Scott placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm dangerous too. Besides, you can help me. I don't think she and her pack can take us both." 

Allison stepped forward. "I'll help too." 

Stiles smirked. "Count me in." 

Lydia hesitated, but her voice was firm. "I'm not going to lie. I'm scared, but I'm fighting by your side, guys." 

Scott smiled. "Don't worry too much. I'll fight her alone. As for her pack, my mom will take care of them one by one. You guys haven't completed your transformation yet, so you just have to distract the others when she is fighting one of them. Don't let them interfere. Maybe get some flashbangs from Allison's father." 

Allison nodded. "Yes, I can get them from my dad." 

Scott turned to the chest nearby. "There are some jars in there. Let's see what's inside." 

Stiles walked over and started examining the jars. "Some of these have labels, but some don't. There's different kinds of wolfsbane, mistletoe, and vervain here. There are even jars with poison." 

Scott nodded thoughtfully. "We'll let Deaton check those later. Allison, you should bring some guns from your dad and make bullets with wolfsbane, vervain, and mistletoe. Make enough for yourself, Lydia, and Stiles." 

Allison frowned. "I don't think my dad will give me guns." 

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Ask Kate. We saved her life, after all." 

Allison's tone turned sharp. "I hate her, and I don't want to talk to her." 

Scott sighed. "Come on, Allison. I'm not saying you should like her. She used you yesterday, so why not use her to get what we need?" 

Allison crossed her arms but relented. "Fine. I'll do it." 

Scott glanced at the group. "I don't think that woman and her pack will be back anytime soon. So why don't we go on patrol in the woods? Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll find something like that huge boar again." 

Stiles perked up. "Yes, let's go. Hey, Scott, do you think I could beat something like that ghoul we found in the woods?" 

Scott smirked. "Probably. It wasn't that strong." 

Lydia, still catching up, asked. "Can someone tell me what boar and ghoul you're talking about?" 

Stiles grinned and launched into the story of the Nemeton and the creatures they'd encountered in the woods. 

With their plan set, Scott and his pack headed into the woods.