CHAPTER 37

Two figures ran through the dead quiet forest with haste as they put as much distance between them and the Hunters as much as they could.

Malia and Derek, who was carrying a passed out Scott, weaved and dodged the wavy trees, both eyes glowing blue to show the state of their mind as they pushed forward and tore the peaceful black canvas of night with the sound of the screaming wind that blew against their bodies. 

Sharing a quick glance, they both slid to a halt and turned to a particular direction where they could hear something gaining in on them with a downright frightening speed. 

Before any of them could question what was approaching them, Tristan blurred and skid to a stop in front of them, blood spattered across his chest and face with his fangs partly visible from his slightly crooked mouth. 

"You're slow." He said after taking in a few seconds to reign in his all-too vibrant emotions. 

"You're too fast." Malia huffed and relaxed her shoulders. The night had been quite a festival of emotions for her and it was only now that she was finally able to catch her breath. 

Derek watched the boy with 50% gratefulness, 40% wariness, and 10% curiosity. He might not have put too much thought on their differences but looking at the young boy now, he could tell that he was way too different from him, Scott, or even Malia. He was a different supernatural altogether. 

"What?" Tristan asked as he sensed Derek's scrutinizing gaze in him. 

"Nothing. Just wondering what you are." He said before shaking his head. "I believe I owe both of you thanks for bailing us out. It would have been hell had we been caught." Derek nudged at the sleeping teen on his back. 

Derek had to acknowledge the fact that he had been too hasty with looking for the Alpha and it was only when he saw that monster that he knew just how far of reach he was to it. 

It was stronger, faster, fiercer, and more beastly than any other werewolf he had seen, and those eyes…. 

They might be the same haunting crimson red he had seen a bunch of times in his childhood but the feeling he got from them was different. It was pure malice. 

"Good you know. Honestly, the only reason we came out here is because I felt some sort of pull and also that stupidly loud howl that probably woke up half of the town."

He and Malia had woken up because of the howl but the main reason he came out was because of the impulse he felt. 

Blood. 

He felt the call for blood, one so intense that he just couldn't sit back. Unfortunately, he didn't know that the carrier of such bloodlust was a monstrous Alpha that shook all his preconceived notions of what an Alpha was. 

"What are you going to do with him?"  He pointed at Scott. 

Derek let out a despondent sigh. "The Alpha clearly answered his call and he knows I'm onto him now.. I'll keep an eye on Scott for the time being. He's the only link I have to the Alpha." Derek said.

He would normally be secretive about his objectives since he knew there was nobody in Beacon Hills that he could trust but the two people in front of him, he knew, had no business with his own personal vendetta. 

They were part of another pack, one widely known for their impassive way of life and the fact that they saved him, not once, but twice, made him afford them the least level of what could be called camaraderie. 

"The Hunters?" He asked. 

Tristan let out a small frown at that – directed at the Hunters – and snorted, "They're retreating. I think the Alpha did more damage to them than they were comfortable with. For your comfort though, I don't think they figured out who Scott was. Or me."

Derek's shoulders slumped in relief at Tristan's words. He couldn't even begin to imagine how shitty things would get if the Hunters cracked down on Scott. With someone like Kate around, it didn't matter if he was still a kid or not, she'll torture him all the same and then kill him if he outlived his use. 

Propping Scott up against his back for better balance, he then turned to Tristan and Malia and then asked. "What about the two of you? What are you going to do?"

"…"

"Nothing."

He nodded since he was well aware of the complexity and volatility of his situation. Not to mention that they were just two high school students and also from another pack, the amount of help they could give was minimal at best. "I see. Then I'll be going first." 

He was about to kick himself into motion but stopped when he remembered a question he wanted to ask since the beginning. "What are you by the way?"

He could tell the girl was animalistic in some ways, so she was definitely a were-supernatural but the boy was different. Even when he shifted, that feral nature that was present in all were-supernatural was lacking in him. 

Tristan chuckled at the familiar question he hadn't heard in a while. "Me? I'm something else."

Derek let out a small laugh at what he considered cheekiness before turning around and running away, leaving the two teens in the middle of the forest. 

They both looked at each other, "Go home?", shrugged and made their way in another direction. 

… 

[Chris Argent POV] 

CRASH! 

A shelf of weapons crashed against the ground as Kate threw anything she could get her hands on across the cellar. 

"Keep it down, will you? Allison's still sleeping." Chris chided his sister who was raging and throwing weapons all over the place. 

"What?" She questioned and turned to face Chris who was the epitome of calm as he sipped his glass for scotch. "We lost, Chris! We didn't even get one of the betas. ONE!" She screamed in his face but the only thing she got in reply was an irritated raised brow and a bone-chilling reprimand. 

"Watch. Your. Tone."

She snorted and folded her hands over her chest and looked at Chris who was just calmly drinking as if none of this could get through to him. "Are you not going to say anything?"

"Are you done hyperventilating?" He asked back. 

"I am not hy-… fuck it! I need a drink." She said as she grabbed the bottle with Chris and proceeded to chug it down, ignoring the irritated scowl that painted her brother's face. 

"Fuah! That hit the spot." She exhaled in good spirits as she felt the burning sensation of alcohol in her system. "So? What's up with you?"

Chris had been awfully quiet ever since they came back, silently placating himself with glass after glass of scotch as his mind went over everything they overlooked, from Derek, to the new beta. From the new beta, to the Alpha. 

"Who was that?" 

"Who? The one that got two of our guys? It's the Alpha. Who else could it be?"

"But there was no blood."

"Huh?"

That's right. There was no blood when he cased the trajectory of the blur's attack. The only blood that was on the scene was that of his men. 

"The Alpha was injured. With at least two types of wolfsbane to boot. There was no way for him to heal in such a short time and his mobility would have been much worse if he shifted to a human form." Chris explained what he found weird from the last attack. His supernatural speed aside, the method of kill was way too precise, something premeditated, and not a spur of action. 

"Another one? You don't really believe there's another beta out there do you?" Kate was very skeptical of this reasoning. While she was the one who pointed out the possibility of a new beta than Derek Hale, she didn't think the Alpha would sire another beta when he still had his hand full with whoever the first one was. "Do you really think a beta would attack when its Alpha has retreated?"

"… That, I'm not too sure. Notwithstanding, I don't think it was the Alpha who attacked us. This means that there's at least three betas and an Alpha involved in their vendetta." Chris forced down the weary sigh that almost creeped up his throat with another swig of his glass. He massaged his temple as he felt a headache building up at how shitty everything was quickly becoming and how blind they were. 

Derek most likely knew who the beta was since he protected him from them and the other one that attacked them knew who they both were, the same could be said about the Alpha, leaving them, the Hunters, in the foggy dark. 

Kate extended the bottle to Chris as his glass was empty earning her a wordless thanks as he made to refill it. "So, what are we gonna do? You know the more we waste time, the more he'll be tempted to come, right?"

Chris frowned at what her words meant since he knew quite well just how messy things could become if his father were to join in on the hunt. "We'll take care of the Alpha before he acts on any vested interest. And that's a night for today." He finished his glass and left Kate all to herself as he retired to bed, hoping to have a clear mind come morning. 

… 

[Derek Hale POV] 

Derek dropped the body of Scott on the floor of his room, deciding it was safer to go to the McCall house than his place since he doesn't know if the Hunters were keeping an eye on him or were running surveillance on his place. 

Thankfully for his intrusion, Melissa, Scott's mom usually worked the night shift for some extra pay at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital so he didn't have to face an agitated mother and explain why and how her son was poisoned and the numerous slash wounds on his body. 

He could feel the effects of the wolfsbane in his system and the slight woozy feeling he was getting was telling him that it's effects were already permeating his system. 

Luckily he didn't have to think much as the door to Scott's room was kicked open by a panicking Stiles who gasped in abject horror as he saw the state the both of them were in, mostly focused on Scott. 

"What the hell happened?" He almost screamed only to have his mouth covered by Derek who stopped him because of the ringing he was feeling in his ears. No need to make it even worse by having the worm overreact. 

"He's not dead if that's what you're asking. Wolfsbane's in his system and him being asleep is making it travel faster. We're going to have to burn it out if you don't want him halfway gone before morning comes." Derek said in one breath as he started feeling ticklish from the wounds that were still on his chest and back. 

"B-but there's not just bullet wounds. There's also slash wounds. Why isn't he healing from those?" Stiles asked as he took off Scott's ruined shirt and gagged at the mutilated flesh underneath. 

"It's because it came from an Alpha. Those take longer time to heal. That's enough talk for now." Derek went over to Scott's side and without even explain anything to the curious Stiles, took a hold of one of Scott's arm and broke it. 

CRACK!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Scott screamed himself awake as the jolt of pain that passed through his body rebooted his brain. 

"Stiles go get it now!"

Stiles ran out of the room and returned moments later with something to burn out the wolfsbane from Scott's body. 

"Hold him steady!" 

"Oh God!~" Stiles' stomach retched as he saw how Derek burned a human's flesh with impunity as had to use his whole might to stop himself from passing out and throwing up. 

Derek ignored Scott's baleful screams as he held the young wolf down with one hand along with Stiles, while burning him with the other. 

THUD! 

THUD! 

Unable to bear the pain any longer, Scott passed out as Derek burned the last of his Hunter-inflicted wounds which left him with patches of freshly and deeply burnt skin.

"You'll have to burn mine out t-"

He looked over only to find out Stiles had passed out too. 

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A/N: Looking back at it now, I think the POVs of the other characters are a little too much. I wanted to make it a round experience where you can tell what the other characters are doing and thinking in respect to the story but it might have been a little bit too much. I'll try to change it as much as possible to center around Tristan.

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