Chapter 62: The Arachne

Back at Scott's house, the group sat around the kitchen table, eating lunch with Melissa. Plates clinked as conversations buzzed. 

They recounted their experience in the woods, everything from the giant frog to the spider silk sacs with dried-up animals inside. Melissa listened intently, her brow furrowed in thought. 

"I'm not sure about the frog." Melissa began, setting her fork down. "But while you were out, I came across something in one of the books from the chest. It's about a shapeshifter that can turn into a spider. It's called an Arachne." 

Stiles, his mouth half-full of food, leaned forward eagerly. "What does it do?" He asked, bits of food almost flying out. 

Melissa shot him a look before continuing. "The Arachne can shift into a spider with the torso of a human. They charm their victims and feed on people—especially younger humans—to stay young. They can use poison and shoot silk from their mouths." 

Allison's eyes narrowed. "Are there any other shapeshifters with spider-like powers?" 

"I don't know." Melissa admitted. "But the Arachne is the only one I've read about that matches what you found in the woods. And there's one more thing you need to know about them." 

Scott leaned forward. "What?" 

"They can turn people into Arachne by biting them. If we don't find her quickly, we could be dealing with an army of spiders." 

Stiles groaned dramatically, throwing his head back. "Great. Giant spiders. Just what we need right now." 

After lunch, Lydia and Stiles headed home, while Allison stayed to read more books with Melissa. Scott left for the animal clinic, his mind busy with thoughts of the Arachne. 

---

The next day, Scott and his friends spotted Jackson at school. The arrogant teen had been bitten by Derek but hadn't yet unlocked his powers. 

Scott observed him carefully, thinking, 'Jackson's definitely going to turn into a Kanima. Should I take his powers? No… they're useless to me. But maybe someone in my pack could use them.' 

Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, Scott and his friends ignored Jackson. 

After school, Allison accompanied Scott to the clinic. She helped with the animals, since Deaton hadn't returned yet. 

On their way home in Scott's Camaro, they noticed Boyd walking into the woods with a woman. 

"Isn't that Boyd?" Allison asked, her voice tinged with concern. 

Scott glanced over, his brows furrowing. "Yeah." 

"I don't like that woman with him." Allison said. "Something about her feels… off." 

Scott's jaw tightened. "You feel it too? She's probably like the Lamia we dealt with before." 

They parked the car and quietly followed Boyd and the woman into the woods. 

The deeper they went, the darker the woods seemed to grow. Suddenly, the woman stopped and turned to Boyd, who looked dazed. 

Scott and Allison watched from the shadows as the woman's body began to shift grotesquely. Her lower half transformed into the body of a massive spider, while her upper half remained human—eerily beautiful but deadly. 

Allison's breath hitched. "She's the Arachne we're looking for." 

"Probably." Scott replied, his voice low. "I'll confirm it once I read her memories. Hopefully, she hasn't bitten anyone yet." 

Scott turned to Allison, his expression softening for a moment. "Babe, stay here. I'm going to save Boyd and deal with that oversized bug." 

Allison nodded, though her eyes betrayed her worry. "Be careful." 

Scott smirked. "Always." 

Scott stepped out of the shadows just as the Arachne leaned in to bite Boyd. "Hey, bug!" he called out casually. "Hate to ruin your meal, but you can't eat him. He's my classmate." 

The Arachne straightened, her eyes glinting with malice. "A wolf, huh? What do you want? This doesn't concern you." 

Scott's red eyes glowed. "You're in my territory, trying to eat one of my classmates. Pretty sure it concerns me." 

The Arachne hissed. "Your territory? Then I'll just have to kill you and make it mine. You're not the first wolf I've killed. And thinking about it… it's been a while since I've eaten one of your kind." 

Scott smiled. "Big talk for a bug." 

Before she could react, Scott disappeared from her sight, reappearing in front of her in an instant. He aimed a powerful kick at her head, but she raised her arms in defense. The impact sent her skidding several feet back. 

Scott grinned. "Interesting. You can't keep up with my speed, but you can sense danger. Am I right, bug?" 

The Arachne glared at Scott but said nothing. Deep down, she knew she wasn't a match for his strength.

Scott turned to Boyd, who was standing in a daze, and slapped him lightly across the face. "Wake up, Boyd!"

Boyd blinked rapidly, disoriented. "What the hell? Where am I? And… McCall? Why are your eyes glowing red?"

Scott sighed, rubbing his temples. "We'll talk later, now go to Allison, she's over there. I'll deal with your 'girlfriend.'"

Boyd frowned. "Girlfriend? What are you talking about? I don't have a—" 

Scott pointed at the Arachne. "Her."

Boyd's jaw dropped as he took in the horrifying sight of the creature with the lower body of a massive spider and the upper torso of a woman. "What the...! Is this some kind of dream?"

Scott rolled his eyes and slapped Boyd again, this time a little harder. 

Boyd shouted. "McCall! Do you want to fight?"

"No." Scott said flatly. "I just needed you to wake up."

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Boyd panicked, and he glanced back at the Arachne. His voice wavered as recognition dawned. "Wait… you're the woman from the store. What are you? Why did you bring me here?"

"She's an Arachne." Scott said. "And she brought your dumb ass here to eat you. Now go to Allison, or I swear I'll leave and let her finish her meal."

Boyd hesitated before muttering, "Fine. But you'd better explain all this later." He walked toward Allison, still shaken.

Scott waved him off dismissively before turning his attention back to the Arachne. "You're surprisingly polite, letting us have our little chat."

The Arachne's eyes narrowed, and Scott noticed her partially healed arms twitching. He smirked. "Ah, I see. You weren't being polite—you were stalling for time."

The creature's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Tonight, I'm feasting on all three of you." she hissed, her voice dripping with malice. "And I'll start with your girl, wolf."

With a sudden motion, the Arachne shot a stream of liquid toward Allison. But Allison, moving with supernatural speed, grabbed Boyd and dragged him out of harm's way as if he weighed nothing.

The liquid struck a nearby tree, solidifying into sticky, glistening spider silk. 

Scott, unfazed, glanced at Allison and Boyd, noting their safe position. He smirked at the Arachne. "Big mistake, bug. You shouldn't have done that."

Before she could react, Scott moved, a blur of motion. In an instant, he was beside her, grabbing one of her massive spider legs. With a sharp twist, he lifted her into the air and slammed her against a thick tree trunk. The Arachne screeched in pain.

After the violent impact, the Arachne began to shift, her massive spider form shrinking into something more humanoid. From her back sprouted six spider legs, sharp and menacing. Her face was a grotesque fusion of spider and woman, adorned with six gleaming eyes and fang-like pincers. A green, viscous liquid dripped from her mouth, hissing as it hit the ground.

She fixed all six of her eyes on Scott, hatred burning within them. "You'll pay for that, mutt." she hissed, her voice guttural and venomous.

Without hesitation, the Arachne launched a series of web attacks, each aimed with deadly precision. But Scott was too fast, darting out of reach before any could touch him. He seemed to vanish and reappear like a ghost, frustrating her attempts.

As he dodged, Scott noticed something about her movements. She wasn't just attacking blindly—she could predict from where he was going to attack her. Each time he prepared to strike, she would spit webs in the direction he was about to move, forcing him to adjust his approach.

After testing her reactions for a while, Scott decided he'd had enough. His eyes glowed brighter, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. He tapped deeper into his wolf side—fur sprouted along his cheeks, his muscles tensed, and his speed and strength surged beyond his normal human form.

This time, when Scott attacked, he was a blur of motion, faster and more aggressive than before. Panic flashed in The Arachne many eyes as she realized she couldn't counter his moves anymore.

She sensed the danger but couldn't react in time. Scott closed the gap between them in an instant and delivered a devastating punch to her midsection. The force of the blow cracked her exoskeleton and snapped her back, sending her crumpling to the ground. Her body twitching in pain. 

Wasting no time, Scott sank his claws into the back of her neck, ensuring she couldn't move. With a deep breath, he focused, delving into her memories.

Flashes of her life played in Scott's mind: decades of luring unsuspecting victims, draining their lives to sustain her own youth. When he pulled back, his eyes burned with determination. He began absorbing her powers.

The Arachne's body trembled as she regained some awareness. Realizing Scott was stealing her abilities, she thrashed weakly, but her broken back rendered her efforts futile. With every moment, her strength dwindled until she reverted to her human form—a frail, elderly woman, barely clinging to life.

Scott smiled, sensing the newfound ability coursing through him—the power to detect danger just like she could.

Allison emerged from the shadows, Boyd following hesitantly behind her. Boyd's eyes darted between Scott and the old woman.

"What are you going to do with her?" Boyd asked, his voice uneasy. "And why does she look like that now?"

Scott's glowing red eyes dimmed as he shifted back to his human form. "She turned old because she lost all her strength. As for what I'll do with her... I'll kill her, of course. She's a monster."

Boyd flinched. "Aren't you a monster too?"

Scott smirked, baring his fangs for a brief moment.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, McCall." Boyd stammered.

Scott waved dismissively and chuckled. "Relax, Boyd. I'm not offended. When I said she's a monster, I wasn't talking about her turning into a spider. I meant the fact that she eats humans—especially young and reckless ones like you—to stay young. I saw it all in her memories. She's done this countless times."

Allison frowned. "Did you find out if she's connected to the Vrykolakas pack?"

Scott shook his head. "No. She's not part of their pack. She came to Beacon Hills two weeks ago and stayed in the woods until three days ago."

"Did she turn anyone into an Arachne?" Allison asked.

"No." Scott said. "Boyd here was supposed to be her first victim."

Allison sighed in relief. "Good."

Boyd, still struggling to process everything, blurted out. "Can someone explain what the hell is going on?"

Scott turned to him. "To make a long story short, The supernatural exists—werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, the whole deal. Welcome to the real world."

Boyd blinked, his mind reeling. Scott studied him thoughtfully, recalling his memories from the show. 'Boyd was one of Derek's betas, and he had so much potential. But Derek failed him, ended up killing him, even if it was under forced circumstances. It didn't change the fact that Derek was a shitty alpha. Maybe I should make Boyd part of my pack.' Scott made a decision. 

"Hey, Boyd." Scott said, snapping him out of his daze. "Do you want to become like me?"

Boyd frowned. "First off, what even are you? I heard that thing call you a wolf, but I don't know what that means."

Scott smirked. "I'm a werewolf."

Boyd hesitated, glancing between Scott and the now old and weak Arachne. "What do I have to do to become like you? And what's the catch?"

Scott's eyes narrowed slightly. "To become a werewolf, you just need to accept the bite from me. The catch? You'll become my beta."

Boyd stepped back, his posture tense as he stared at Scott warily. "What? Beta? What does that even mean?"

Scott frowned and crossed his arms. "Relax, idiot. I'm not talking about something weird. An alpha leads the pack—like me. A beta is a member of the pack."

Boyd awkwardly cleared his throat. "Oh... I see."

Scott continued. "Look, if you decide to join my pack, it's a lifelong commitment. We'll be like family, but you'll also have to fight creatures like that Arachne and help protect Beacon Hills. And if you betray me... well, let's just say it won't end well. Take the night to think it over and give me your answer tomorrow."

Boyd tilted his head. "That's it? No other strings attached?"

Scott shrugged. "There's a lot more to it, but if you don't want to be a werewolf, there's no point in explaining everything now."

Boyd glanced at Scott, his suspicion giving way to a tentative smile. "If I become part of your pack, does that mean we'll be friends? You know, hang out and all that?"

Scott chuckled. "Yeah. Like I said, a pack is like a family."

Boyd nodded firmly. "Then I don't need to wait until tomorrow. I want to be like you now."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Alright, but first, let me call Stiles and ask him to bring a shovel. We need to bury the Arachne."

Boyd froze. "Wait, you're planning to bury her alive?"

Scott shook his head, walking over to the Arachne. Without hesitation, he broke her neck with a swift motion, her body falling limp. He turned back to Boyd. "Now she's dead and ready to be buried."

Boyd stared at Scott, a mix of unease and awe flickering in his eyes. "McCall, you look way too comfortable with killing her. And why isn't your girlfriend even fazed by any of this?"

Allison smiled and stepped forward. "I've seen worse. And if you're feeling sorry for that thing, remember she brought you here to eat you. That's what she does, Boyd. She eats people."

Scott nodded and pulled out his phone and called Stiles. "Bring a shovel." he said bluntly. "We've got a dead body to bury."

While waiting for Stiles, Scott explained more to Boyd. "Alright, while we wait for the shovel, let's talk. You need to understand what being a beta means, what an alpha is, and a whole lot more about the supernatural world."

Scott explained more to Boyd—the responsibilities of being in a pack, and the dangers of their world. Boyd listened intently, his resolve only growing stronger.

When Stiles arrived, grumbling about being dragged into grave-digging duty. they buried the Arachne's body in a quiet spot in the woods. Afterward, Scott gave Boyd the bite, sealing his place in the pack.

As the night deepened, Scott and Allison returned home, leaving Stiles to drive Boyd back.