31: An Alpha Hunt [1]

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As I drove back home after a night of pure craziness, a nagging thought crept into my mind. 

'Had I used up all my luck for the year?' It's not like I don't have enough supernatural problems to deal with already. 

And then there's the added worry of Tara potentially ending me in my sleep to keep tonight's events under wraps. 

Fun times ahead.

"B-16, come in!" 

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, the police comms in my Jeep interrupted my reverie with their usual blare.

B-16, the dynamic duo of Parrish and Haigh, seemed to be on patrol tonight.

Parrish and I go way back - we used to hang out whenever I swung by the sheriff's station. He's like the Jake Peralta of the department, kinda cool.

But then Parrish's voice crackled over the radio, and whatever peace of mind I had left vanished in an instant.

"B-16, reporting." He said.

"We just received a call from Central Hospital. Garrison has gone flat-."

That was all I needed to hear. Without a second thought, I slammed on the brakes, sending my poor wheels screeching in protest, and spun the Jeep around. 

"Fuck." I blurted.

Time to make a detour to Scott's house.

—--

I climbed up to Scott's window sill, a departure from my usual routine of sneaking in through the front door with the spare key I keep, which I stupidly left at home tonight. The situation felt too urgent to waste time.

Grabbing onto the window edges, I hoisted myself into his room and landed on his bed with an undignified thud. As I picked myself up, I heard footsteps approaching from the corridor. Assuming it was Scott, I stood up to greet him.

But to my surprise, it was Melissa charging in with a baseball bat raised, ready to swing at me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I yelled, quickly rolling back onto the bed as she recoiled in terror at my panicked reaction.

"No! No!" I protested as she settled down, both of us taking deep breaths.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing here?!" Melissa exclaimed in disbelief.

"What am I doing?!" I shot back incredulously. "God. Do either of you even play baseball?"

"What?" Melissa muttered, shooting me a withering glare.

Just then, the lights in Scott's room flicked on, and he entered, noticing the tense atmosphere.

"What's going on?" He asked, perplexed by our standoff.

"Could you please tell your friend to use the front door?" Melissa demanded, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"But we lock the front door. He wouldn't be able to get in." Scott reasoned, though I know I can.

"Yeah, that's kind of the whole point of locking it." Melissa deadpanned, loosening her glare on me only to redirect it at Scott.

"And by the way, do either of you care that there's a police-enforced curfew?" Scott and I exchanged guilty glances.

"No." We both admitted in unison.

"No." Melissa mouthed in disbelief. "Alright then."

She sighed heavily and tossed the bat onto the bed. "Well, you know what, that's enough parenting for me for one night."

"So. Good night." She said before exiting the room.

"Good night, Mom." Scott muttered.

"Good night, sorry for startling you." I added, though she was already gone, retreating to her own room.

Scott flopped onto the bed next to me, pushing the bat aside and letting out a long, tired sigh.

"I take it the 'hangout' didn't work out?" I prodded, trying to gauge his mood.

"No." He grumbled. "I think I just screwed up any chance I had with her."

"Ouch." I sympathised, deciding to save my news for another time. "That sucks, man."

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, I spoke up. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Oh, wait." Scott sat up, a puzzled expression on his face. "What happened?"

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. "A patrol left for the hospital about 15 minutes ago. It's the bus driver."

Scott's eyes widened in confusion.

"They said he succumbed to his wounds" I clarified.

"Succumbed?" Scott asked, not grasping the term.

"Scott, he's dead." I stated plainly.

Scott's shock was palpable as the realisation sunk in.

"It must've been Derek, right?!" He exclaimed, his anger flaring up. "He was the one that attacked the driver, he should have killed him." 

I blinked, taken aback by his sudden outburst, before regaining my composure. "Scott, we don't know anything for sure."

"But he do!" Scott stood up, his fists clenched in fury as he stormed out of the room.

"Scott!" I called after him, rushing to catch up. "Where are you going?"

He stopped midway down the stairs, turning back to face me. "The only way to find out what happened is to confront him. We can't wait for someone else to get hurt."

"Scott, that's a terrible idea." I protested.

"Come on, Stiles, you know it's the only way." He said, before darting out of the house.

I cursed under my breath, realising he was right. 

"Shit." I muttered, following him outside.

—---

The Jeep screeched to a halt in front of Hale's old haunted house, and before I could even turn off the engine, Scott leaped out and dashed inside.

"Scott!" I yelled, racing after him.

But he ignored my calls and stormed into the house.

"Derek!" He shouted, his voice reverberating through the creaky wooden structure. "I know you're here! I know what you did!"

I followed just in time to hear Derek's voice echoing from within. 

"I didn't do anything."

"You killed him!" Scott accused, slowly ascending the stairs toward Derek's voice.

"He died." Derek replied, his voice lacking any emotion regarding the driver's fate.

"Just like your sister died?" Scott asked ominously.

"Scott, knock it off." I warned.

"My sister was missing." Derek explained. "I came here looking for her."

"You found her." Scott muttered, his eyes darting around the room as he climbed the stairs.

"I found her in pieces!" He roared in anger. "Being used as bait to catch me."

Scott blinked as he reached the top of the stairs, finding Derek absent.

"I think you killed them both, and I'm going to tell everyone, starting with the sheriff."

"Scott!" I shouted as Derek suddenly appeared behind him and swung his hand.

His massive fist connected with Scott's chin, sending him tumbling down the stairs with a loud thud.

"Scott!" I cried, rushing to his side as he groaned.

Scott's face contorted into his werewolf form as he snarled at Derek.

Derek gritted his teeth, his eyes turning golden and his hair growing longer as his canines protruded from his mouth and his beard thickened.

Crouching and ready to pounce with his claws extended, Derek roared.

Scott lunged at Derek, but the older guy sidestepped and delivered a punch to Scott's face, sending him crashing into the wooden structure, breaking it in the process.

Scott grunted as he extricated himself from the wreckage and launched himself at Derek again, this time clawing at his chest and drawing blood in the process.

Derek winced and reached for Scott's neck, using his height to his advantage as he gripped Scott's throat. It was clear that it was time for me to intervene.

"Arghh!" I shouted as I leaped in, pulling them apart.

Derek and Scott winced in pain as they stepped away from each other, a faint scent of charred smoke rising from their bodies.

"Stop it!" I screamed, stepping between them with my hands raised, black flames erupting and engulfing my arms in an instant.

"I didn't kill him." Derek yelled. "It wasn't my fault."

"I know." I replied, my voice taking on a colder, more demonic tone, surprising even myself.

"Not your fault!" Scott cried. "This is all your fault! You ruined my life!"

"No, he didn't!" I roared back at Scott, silencing him in shock before turning to Derek.

"Tell us about the other one." I demanded. "The one who bit us."

Derek rose slowly, his werewolf form receding as I extinguished my flames and dropped my arms. Scott stood up, wiping blood from his lip where Derek's punch had landed.

"It's called an Alpha." Derek began. "It's the most dangerous of our kind."

He sat down, sweat dripping from his chin as he continued. "Scott and I, we're betas."

"This thing is more powerful, more animal than either of us."

"Your sister came here looking for him?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Now I'm trying to find him." Derek grunted.

"But I don't think I can do it without him." He said, pointing at Scott.

"Why me?" Scott asked, scrutinising Derek.

"Because he's the one who bit you. You're part of his pack." Derek explained.

I connected the dots and grasped what Derek was suggesting.

"It's you, Scott." I muttered, catching his attention.

"You're the key to finding out who the Alpha is."