Chapter 208: Scott vs. Darius
Oct 16, 2025
The air itself seemed to solidify, charged with the raw, predatory auras of the two monstrous Alphas. The shattered clearing, already scarred by their previous clash, was now their coliseum.
Scott, now a three-meter-tall monster of black fur and muscle, moved first. His claws aimed to tear through Darius's golden hide, but the moment they made contact, they scraped harmlessly across the werelion's skin with a sound like knives on stone. He couldn't cut him. Darius's hide was simply too tough.
Realizing it was useless, Scott changed his tactics. He stopped trying to slash and instead balled his hands into massive fists. Speed and raw, concussive force were his new weapons.
The fight exploded into a new, brutal rhythm.
Scott became a blur of motion around Darius. He darted in and slammed a fist into the werelion's side. The impact traveled deep, and Darius grunted, feeling a rib creak. A trickle of blood escaped his lips.
But getting close had a price.
As Scott pulled back, Darius was already swinging. His razor-sharp claws ripped across Scott's chest with a terrible, shredding sound. Scott hissed in pain as four deep grooves were carved into him, blood pouring out. He jumped back, and before he could take a second breath, the wounds sealed shut as if they were never there.
That became the pattern of their fight.
Again and again, Scott used his blinding speed. He would appear, deliver a devastating blow to Darius's gut or back that made the werelion cough up blood, and then he would pay for it. A claw would slice his arm open; a powerful kick would send him flying through a tree, his bones cracking on impact. The ground around them became a wrecked mess of craters and shattered timber from the thunderous shockwaves of their clashes.
But every time Scott was slashed or sent flying, he would just get up, his body mending itself in seconds, a wild, excited grin on his wolfish face.
"This is the fight I was looking for!" Scott laughed, spitting out a tooth that was already growing back. He was having the time of his life.
Darius, however, was not.
Each of Scott's punches hurt him deep inside. His organs felt bruised, his bones ached. His own healing was fast, but it wasn't instant like Scott's. It was a war of attrition, and he was slowly losing.
Worse than the physical pain was the dread gnawing at his mind. 'Selene. Valeria. Meilin. Were they okay? Were they already beaten?' The thought of his wives at the mercy of Scott's pack was a cold fear in his gut, making it hard to focus. He saw Scott's excited, grinning face and felt a surge of pure fury. This kid was treating their life-and-death struggle like a game!
He roared in anger and charged, deciding to end it. He tackled Scott, and they tore through the forest like a cannonball, smashing through everything in their path. Pinning Scott down, he rained blows upon his head, each hit cracking the ground beneath them.
Scott just took it, his head snapping back and forth. He was still grinning. Then, with a powerful uppercut, he slammed his fist into Darius's lion-like jaw. The dazed werelion was launched into the air, and Scott stood quickly, delivering a powerful kick to his chest that sent him flying to crash against a thick tree trunk.
Darius stood up, spitting a mouthful of blood, and growled at Scott, who merely grinned back.
They clashed again, their roars and the impacts of their blows shaking the forest.
After fighting like that for nearly thirty minutes, they broke apart, standing panting as steam rose from their bodies in the cool night air. Scott wasn't tired; his body hummed with energy and excitement. This was the first fight where he had held nothing back physically, pushing his strength and speed to their absolute limits, and his opponent was still standing.
Darius was bruised internally, his golden fur matted with his own blood. He was anxious and weary. But as he looked at Scott, his fear for his wives hardened into a cold, sharp resolve.
---
Back at the ranch...
Melissa, Allison, and the others returned with the defeated, unconscious members of the Chaos Pride.
Melissa looked at the pack. "Those who don't have any special powers will get to choose which abilities they want to absorb. So, except for the ancient vampire, whose powers Allison wants, you can choose whatever you want."
Chris said. "I'm the only one without any special abilities, so I'll be the first to choose."
He looked over the unconscious Chaos Pride members and, after a moment's thought, said. "I want the Fire Fairy's ability. Is that okay with you guys?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Wait until we decide who will absorb the rest of their powers." Melissa said. "Then we'll do it all at once. It will give Scott a boost of strength and weaken Darius. Now, who wants the Cipactli's water control ability?"
Aiden and Peter both stepped forward.
Seeing this, Melissa said. "You two can flip a coin for it."
Peter looked at Aiden. "Best out of three?"
"Sure." Aiden replied.
After three flips, Aiden won. He patted Peter's shoulder. "Good luck next time."
Peter said. "Damn it!"
Braeden spoke up. "Can I absorb the fox woman's powers? I like her energy-draining ability."
Everyone agreed.
Allison said. "Peter, you can absorb the powers of the Nue—he can turn his body into mist. Melissa will take the Tarasque's powers. And let's see..." She scanned the remaining pack members. "Alan and Liam, you two absorb the Ogre and the Loup-Garou's powers. They don't have special abilities, but they are incredibly strong physically."
With that, Melissa and the others who were going to absorb powers stepped forward, each positioning themselves in front of their chosen shifter.
Allison stood before the still-frozen ancient vampire. "Wait, I'll tell Scott first." She said, then spoke to him telepathically.
---
Meanwhile, Scott, who had just separated from Darius after another clash, heard Allison's voice in his head.
[Scott, we finished our fights and we're ready to absorb their powers and kill them. Should we do it now or wait?]
Scott replied telepathically. [Do it now. Darius is still holding back; he hasn't used all his powers even though he's losing. Kill them. I want him to go mad and use all his strength.]
[Alright, be careful.] Allison said.
[I will.] Scott responded.
As he finished the conversation, he looked at Darius with an evil smile.
Darius felt that something was wrong but couldn't tell what. His confusion didn't last long. Soon, he felt the life force of his pride members being extinguished, one by one.
He looked at Scott, panic and worry for his wives clear on his face. "Kid, tell your pack not to hurt my wives, and I'll leave this town and never come back. I give you my word."
"It's too late for that." Scott said coldly. "Besides, there's no way I'm letting you live past tonight."
Just then, Scott felt a surge of power. His werewolf form grew from 3 meters to 3.5 meters tall. At the same instant, Darius felt the final, crushing deaths of all his pride members, including his three wives.
He let out a roar of pure pain and rage. He fixed his eyes on Scott. "I'll kill you! I'll kill everyone you love, and everyone in this town!"
Scott snorted and moved faster than before, slamming his fist hard into Darius's chest. But the impact sounded like hitting iron. Scott looked at Darius, who had been pushed back a few meters but was still standing, and saw that his chest was now covered in metal.
As Scott watched, Darius's entire body turned to metal. He formed a suit of gray armor around his form, his mane shifting to gleaming silver. His body, which was 3 meters before, now stood as a 4-meter-tall metal werelion.
He lunged at Scott. Scott tried to punch him, but though his blow landed, it only dented the metal armor. It didn't even force Darius back a single step, let alone send him flying.
Scott tried to pull his hand back, but Darius caught it. Now taller, he drove a devastating headbutt down onto Scott's skull, dazing him. Before Scott could react, Darius bit down on his elbow, severing his arm completely.
Scott howled in pain and jumped away, staring at his missing arm, which was still clutched in Darius's jaws. "Damn it, I was careless!" He cursed.
But Scott wasn't overly worried about his arm; he possessed a potent regeneration ability absorbed from a supernatural frog. He watched as his arm began to regenerate rapidly, then turned his furious gaze back to Darius.
The enraged Darius spat out Scott's arm. He smiled, but it wasn't a smile of satisfaction or happiness. It was the grim, broken smile of a man who had lost his mind completely to grief and fury.
He was about to attack again when he stopped short. He felt danger—extreme danger—emanating from Scott.
Scott growled, his voice a low rumble. "We were having a good time, but you had to ruin it by biting off my arm. You shouldn't have done that. You should have just kept being my punching bag; that way, you could have lived a little longer."
He flexed his newly regenerated arm. Then, he stopped holding back.
He unleashed his fire ability, and flames ignited all over his body. A shockwave of fire and heat erupted from him, pushing Darius back several meters and scorching the surrounding trees. The heat was so intense that the trees didn't just burn—they turned to ash instantly.
Scott teleported, appearing right behind Darius. With his flaming claws, he slashed the werelion's back, tearing through the metal armor and leaving four deep gashes. Instead of blood, hot, liquid metal oozed from the wounds.
Darius roared in pain and leaped away, but the painful roar continued as the wounds from Scott's claws still burned, healing at an agonizingly slow rate.
Scott didn't let him recover. He teleported in front of Darius and slashed at his chest. The armor there was thicker, and Darius countered with a swipe of his claws that tore into Scott's shoulder. But Scott barely flinched—his flesh already knitting itself back together. He slashed again and again, melting through the metal until he stabbed a flaming hand directly into Darius's gut, cooking him from the inside out.
Darius roared in utter agony and, with all his remaining strength, pushed Scott away. He stumbled back, vomiting a mixture of molten metal and boiling blood.
He looked at Scott now with pure fear. He knew he was no match. He realized Scott had been toying with him the entire time, and he understood that he would die tonight. But he didn't give up. He had one last card to play: the ability to shift into a giant lion, larger than a draft horse.
He shifted again, becoming a colossal metal lion, and charged.
Scott just smirked. He avoided the lion's massive jaws and slashed its side, leaving another deep, dripping wound. Then, he teleported a short distance away.
"Do you want to rely on your size to win?" Scott taunted. "Then how about we compare sizes?"
Scott shifted into his full wolf form. In moments, a giant, flaming black wolf stood before Darius—six meters tall with a body length of eighteen meters, making the metal lion look like a house cat.
Darius stared up at the giant wolf in terror, then turned and tried to flee.
But Scott teleported, appearing directly in his path. He opened his giant maw and released a torrent of fire breath, engulfing the lion and burning it alive.
Scott stopped when Darius's pained roars ceased. He watched as the almost completely melted metal lion shifted back into Darius's human form. The man was a horrific sight—missing all his limbs, his skin burned away to expose charred muscle and bone. He was unconscious and moments from death.
Scott shifted back to his human form and quickly approached. He wanted to read Darius's memories, but he didn't want to risk the man dying before he could absorb his powers. He abandoned the idea, inserted his claws into Darius's chest, and began draining his abilities.
Just as Scott finished absorbing the last of the powers, Darius died.
Scott stood up and sighed. "That was close. I almost killed him before absorbing his powers."
With a wave of his hand, Scott incinerated Darius's remains and extinguished all the fires still burning in the forest.
He felt the new strength coursing through his body and found his skin was incredibly tough. He tried to scratch it with his own claws but couldn't penetrate it. He smirked. "I don't know if there's anything that can hurt my skin now. Maybe magical weapons?"
Then he focused, and the skin on his arm transformed into metal, though the control was still unrefined. "I'll need to train this new element." He mused. "But for now, let's head home, take a quick shower, and join the pack."
He sent a telepathic message to the pack to let them know the fight was over and he was safe. Then, he teleported to the lake house to clean up before rejoining everyone.
Chapter 209: End of the Beast
Oct 25, 2025
After taking a shower and changing clothes, Scott teleported back to his pack. He gave Allison a kiss, then looked at the three vampires still alive.
He raised a brow. "Why are they still alive?"
Lydia spoke up. "Can you give my mom the Bite? I kept them alive because I want her to absorb their powers after she becomes a werewolf or whatever she will turn into."
"Sure, I can give her the Bite." Scott said. "But did she agree to it?"
"Yes, she did." Lydia confirmed. "And by the way, one of the vampires is the owner of the building the Chaos Pride was staying in."
Scott suggested. "Let Stiles control him with his flies and make him transfer the ownership to us. Where is Stiles, anyway?"
"His clothes were torn during the fight, so he went to change." Allison said. "My dad, Derek, and the others went to change, too."
Scott nodded. "Alright. Isaac, Aiden, Peter, Liam—you guys gather the bodies of the vampires and loup-garous, take them to the woods, and ask Stiles and Parrish to help you burn them."
Then Scott looked at Deaton. "Doc, I'll open a portal to the company's basement. You take the three vampires Lydia spared and imprison them there."
Scott waved his hand, and a shadow portal opened, leading directly to the company's basement. Deaton dragged two vampires through it, and Lydia dragged the third, following close behind. They returned through the portal a moment later after securing the vampires in cells.
Scott turned to the White Ladies. "So, what are you two going to do now, after the death of the Chaos Pride?"
Ciara said. "We will go back to our small town in Ireland. We might stay there."
Cara added. "Yeah, we just want to spend the rest of our lives in peace after all the death and destruction we've witnessed over the last ten years."
"Then good luck." Scott said. "I wish you both a happy, peaceful life."
Ciara smiled. "Thank you. We are really grateful you helped us kill those monsters and avenge our mother. So, thank you, all of you."
"You're welcome." Scott replied. "I was going to keep Darius alive for you two to kill him, but I went too far and burned him with my fire. By the time I remembered, it was too late; he was already dying."
Cara said. "As long as he's dead, we don't care."
After that, the twins said goodbye to Scott and the pack and left the ranch.
Melissa watched them go and said. "Scott, aren't you worried they'll tell people about our abilities? They saw us absorbing powers."
"They probably won't." Scott said. "And it doesn't matter much anymore. We're strong enough to protect ourselves now."
Stiles and the others who had gone to change returned. Stiles looked at Scott and asked. "How was your fight? Was Darius strong?"
"He was." Scott said. "And the fight was fun, but I was careless and lost an arm."
Allison looked at him, seeing both arms intact. "You lost an arm?"
"Yes, Darius bit it off. But it grew back in seconds."
Then he looked at Stiles. "You know how I always said I wanted a good fight, to face someone who could make me go all out? Well, I don't want that anymore. If I have to fight, I want to kill my opponent immediately."
"Seriously?" Stiles asked.
"Yeah." Scott said. "Losing my arm hurt really bad. And Darius made some deep cuts on my body and broke a few of my bones. That really hurts. So I don't want a 'good fight' anymore; I just want to crush my opponents before they even have a chance to fight back."
Stiles said. "Well, I don't think you'll find an opponent who can fight you equally after absorbing Darius's powers."
Scott smirked. "You're right. After you guys absorbed the powers from the beta loup-garous, the lesser vampires, and the Chaos Pride, and after I took Darius's powers... I've become very strong. You should see my wolf form; it's huge. And Darius' skin was impenetrable—no matter what I did, I couldn't get through it until I used my fire. And now I have similar skin, and I can control the metal element."
"Show us your wolf form!" Stiles said.
"Next time." Scott replied. "For now, you, Boyd, Parrish, and Derek, help Isaac and the others gather the bodies and burn them."
Then Scott looked at Chris and Allison. "We still have work to do tonight."
Chris asked. "What work?"
Scott said. "Lydia told me that she found the location of the last Dread Doctor in Cara's memories. She also said the Chaos Pride brought an Alpha Werewolf to the Dread Doctor. I assume he'll use the Alpha's body to give the Beast a strong host."
Chris's expression turned grim. "We can't let him succeed. A lot of people will die if he does."
Scott looked at Lydia. "Lydia, lead the way."
Lydia nodded, turned into a blur, and ran toward town. Scott, Chris, and Allison followed close behind.
It didn't take them long to reach the Dread Doctor's new underground lab, but they found its steel door broken.
Chris said. "It seems we're a little late."
"Let's check inside first." Scott replied.
As they entered, the air smelled of chemicals, machine oil, and blood. They soon found the last Dread Doctor, Marcel, lying dead on the ground, his body torn apart.
"We have to find the Beast now." Allison said urgently. "We can't let him kill people."
Scott waved a hand, incinerating the Dread Doctor's body with a burst of flame. "Let's go."
They exited the lab, and Scott caught the Beast's scent. He followed it, with Allison and the others close behind. But after tracking it for about ten minutes, the trail went cold.
"What do we do now?" Allison asked.
Scott looked at Lydia. "Lydia, where should we go? Don't think too much, just follow your instincts."
Lydia nodded, closed her eyes for a moment, and then took off in a new direction. The group followed.
After running for another ten minutes, they caught the smell of blood. They followed it into a dim alley and found three dead bodies. A man was stripping the clothes from one of the corpses to wear.
Lydia said. "That's him. Although he doesn't look like the Alpha the Chaos Pride gave to the Dread Doctor."
The man looked up, his eyes locking onto Scott. He could feel their power, especially Scott's. "You are a beast, like me." He said. "What do you want?"
"We want you dead, Sebastien Valet." Chris stated coldly.
Sebastien's gaze shifted to Chris. "Argent? But you are not a hunter... you are a beast too, I can feel it." Then his eyes landed on Allison, and he stared in shock. "Marie-Jeanne! How are you still alive? Did you follow me even through time to kill me, sister?"
Allison tilted her head. "Marie-Jeanne? No, I'm not her. I'm Allison Argent. Marie-Jeanne has been dead for centuries."
Sebastien said. "No, you are definitely her. You think I wouldn't recognize my little sister?" He let out a manic laugh. "Tell me, sister, now that you are a beast like me, how about you and I turn this town into a bloodbath?"
"Scott." Allison said, her voice firm.
Scott waved his hand, and a shadow portal leading back to the ranch appeared behind them. "Go. I'll bring him."
Allison, Lydia, and Chris stepped through the portal. Scott appeared beside the puzzled Sebastien, placed a hand on him, and teleported them both directly into the portal, pushing the Beast through before following himself.
Back at the ranch, Allison and the others emerged from the portal in front of Melissa and Victoria, who were watching the pack deal with the bodies of the lesser vampires and loup-garous.
"Did you find the Beast?" Victoria asked.
"Yes, we did." Allison confirmed.
Just then, Sebastien stumbled out of the portal, looking around in confusion.
"That's him." Lydia said.
Scott followed and kicked the dazed Beast out of the way. He called out to Noah, who was helping the pack. "Uncle Noah, there's something you need to deal with."
Noah walked over. "What is it?"
Chris pointed at Sebastien. "Unfortunately, we were a little late. We found him after he'd already killed three people in an alley. You need to go deal with that."
Noah sighed and called out. "Braeden! Parrish! Let's go." He walked through the still opened shadow portal, with Braeden and Parrish following behind him before it closed.
Allison looked at Sebastien, her eyes glowing red. She took a step forward. "Guys, let me deal with him." She faced the Beast. "Alright, beast. Show me what you've got."
Sebastien's eyes glowed red in response. "You managed to make everyone forget my name in the past, but this time I will make everyone remember me, Marie-Jeanne! I will turn this little town into a graveyard and make everyone remember the name Sebastien Valet! I will start by killing you, sister!"
Scott watched Sebastien, a thought crossing his mind. 'Interesting. He's an Alpha now, unlike in the original timeline.'
Stiles, who had come to watch the fun, stood next to Scott and said. "Why is this idiot calling Allison sister?"
"She probably looks exactly like her ancestor Marie-Jeanne, his sister." Scott replied.
Just then, Sebastien began to shift. His transformation wasn't like Scott's or the others'. Shadows swirled around him, swallowing him whole, and when they receded, he stood in his Beast form. He was truly monstrous—four meters tall with a heavily muscular body and a mouth filled with jagged, sharp teeth.
"That doesn't look like a werewolf." Stiles remarked.
Allison attacked first. She leaped into the air, aiming a kick at the Beast's head, but he blocked it with a thick arm. The impact created a visible shockwave, and he shoved her back.
Allison flipped mid-air, started shifting, and landed on her feet, already in her full werewolf form. White fur covered her body, she grew taller, and her head shifted into that of a wolf. She attacked again.
This time, she was faster and far more powerful. She jumped, and the Beast barely had time to raise his arm in defense. Her kick landed with crushing force, slamming his own arm into his face and sending him stumbling backward several meters.
The Beast roared in fury and charged. But Allison was a blur of motion, evading every one of his wild swings and landing her own blows. Her claws raked across his body, leaving deep wounds that bled not blood, but shadow. She kept punching and kicking. There was no bleeding or sound of breaking bones; his wounds simply leaked shadow before healing. But he was clearly in pain, roaring with a mix of anger and agony.
Watching the fight, Stiles said. "This bastard is strong. But unfortunately for him, he's fighting us. If he were anywhere else in the world, he might have had a chance to make a name for himself and cause a lot of destruction."
Isaac added. "I don't know why those freak doctors had to bring him back in Beacon Hills. Couldn't they have just brought him back in France?"
"I don't know what they were thinking." Chris said. "But I'm glad they didn't take him somewhere else. Can you imagine the destruction a monster this strong could cause?"
"I don't even want to imagine it." Stiles replied.
Back in the fight, Allison realized her physical attacks were only a temporary annoyance to the beast. She switched tactics, crossing her arms and releasing two spears of ice that pierced the Beast's torso. He grunted, yanked the spears out, and tossed them aside. The holes in his body leaked shadow and sealed shut.
Allison moved fast, ducking under a punch and swiftly climbing onto his back. She locked her arms around his neck and unleashed her ice power, freezing him solid in an instant and turning him into an ice sculpture.
But the Beast shifted back to his human form, shattering the ice, before immediately transforming back into the Beast.
"This is getting annoying." Allison said. She dodged another claw swipe and created distance. Raising both hands, she summoned seven massive ice spears, each two meters long and lethally sharp.
With a wave of her hand, she unleashed them. The Beast managed to avoid the first three, but the fourth spear struck him with enough force to launch him backward. The remaining spears followed, piercing his body and freezing him from the inside out.
He shifted back to his human form, grievously wounded. The ice spears were still embedded in his chest and stomach. He knew his vessel was dying. "Damn it!" He cursed.
Then he looked at Allison with a bloody smirk. "You won again, sister. But this is not the end. I'll be back!"
He opened his mouth, and a shadow—the true essence of Sebastien—escaped. The body, now devoid of the spirit, reverted to the form of the Alpha werewolf the Dread Doctors had used as a vessel.
The real Sebastien, now a fleeing shadow, suddenly found himself caught in a burning hand. Scott had teleported directly into his path.
"Sorry, buddy." Scott said, staring at the shadow writhing in his grasp. "There is no next time."
He unleashed his fire, incinerating the shadow and killing Sebastien for good.
Allison shifted back to her human form. "Is he dead?"
"Yeah, he's dead." Scott confirmed. He then smirked. "And again, let's hope he's the last evil member of your family."
Allison rolled her eyes. "I need to go home and take a shower."
She then used her new shadow teleportation ability and vanished, heading for the lake house.
Scott smiled, kissed Melissa on the cheek, and said. "Good night, Mom." He looked at Stiles. "You help them burn the bodies. I'm calling it a night."
But before he could leave, Lydia said. "Wait! You haven't given my mom the Bite yet."
Scott walked over to Lydia, put a hand on her shoulder, and teleported them both to the pack house where Natalie was waiting. He gave her the Bite, then teleported to the lake house. He entered the bathroom after Allison, hugged her from behind, and whispered. "Let's celebrate our victory."
Allison turned toward him and kissed him. "Sure." She said softly.
Then the two of them lost themselves in each other, and soon the bathroom was filled with Allison's happy cries.
Chapter 210: Peace Interrupted
Nov 25, 2025
It had been two days since the McCall pack dealt with the Chaos Pride.
Scott sat on the porch steps of the pack house, watching in amusement as the cow, Buttercup, and the female wolf, Luna, played with a large ball Lydia had bought for Buttercup. Allison leaned against his shoulder, smiling as she watched the two animals paly.
Nearby, Stiles was chasing the wolf Vesper, who had stolen his food.
Boyd, Liam, and Isaac were standing by the grill, cooking meat while the two pups, Ghost and Leila, pawed at their legs, eagerly demanding food.
Inside the kitchen, Melissa, Victoria, Natalie, and Noshiko were preparing lunch.
Chris, Noah, Peter, Rafael, Derek, Parrish, Ken, and Deaton sat together, drinking.
Under the shade of a large tree, Lydia, Erica, Cora, Braeden, and Kira were chatting and laughing. Malia was with them, dozing off in her massive coyote form.
Aiden was off to the side, cleaning and polishing his bike.
When lunch was ready, everyone gathered to eat together as one big family.
As night fell, Natalie experienced her first full moon as a werewolf. Under the moon's glow, she shifted into her full wolf form for the first time.
Afterward, Scott opened a portal to the company's basement and brought forth the three vampires Lydia had kept alive for her mother.
Natalie went inside the pack house, shifted back to her human form, dressed, and returned.
Lydia gestured to the three vampires, who were paralyzed by her venom. "Mom, stab these guys with your claws and absorb their powers."
Natalie hesitated. "I don't want to kill anyone."
Lydia smiled reassuringly. "They won't die if you absorb their powers. Besides, you'll regain your youth."
"What? Regain my youth?" Natalie asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes," Lydia confirmed. "You'll look like you're in your twenties again."
That ended Natalie's hesitation. "Okay. What should I do? Just stab them with my claws?"
Lydia nodded. "Yes."
Natalie knelt and drove her claws into the first vampire, absorbing his powers, then moved to the second. As she drained the second one, her eyes flashed red—she had become an Alpha. These weren't lesser vampires; they had been turned by the ancient vampire from the Chaos Pride's own blood, making each as strong as a normal Alpha werewolf. Natalie didn't stop; she absorbed the third vampire's powers as well, and her appearance grew visibly younger.
She stood up, the surge of Alpha power coursing through her, but her focus was elsewhere. She looked at Lydia anxiously. "How do I look? Did I really become young?"
Lydia grinned. "Yes. You look like my sister now, not my mother."
Natalie gasped. "Really!?"
She bolted inside toward the hallway mirror. Lydia followed, chuckling. Natalie stared at her reflection—young, glowing, vibrant.
Lydia squeezed her mother's hand. "Told you the Bite would be good for you." She said softly.
Natalie smiled. "Yes, thank you, honey. And I should thank Scott, too."
Then she looked at Lydia, a new spark in her eyes. "Now, I need to find me a man."
Lydia raised a brow. "Are you ready to be in a relationship again?"
"Yes," Natalie said confidently. "And actually… I already have my eyes on someone."
"Oh!" Lydia leaned in. "Who?"
Natalie leaned closer and whispered in her daughter's ear. "I like Noah. What do you think of him?"
Lydia smiled warmly. "He's a good man. But he just ended a relationship with someone because she didn't want to marry him or have children. Do you think you can give him what he wants?"
Natalie thought for a moment. "I don't mind getting married and having children, but that's for later. First, I need to get to know him and see what happens."
"Okay," Lydia said. "Do you want me to set you two up?"
"No, I can take care of my own dating life," Natalie replied with a laugh. Then she turned the tables. "And when are you going to find someone?"
Lydia smiled. "I'm good. I'm really happy, and I don't care if I'm single. Don't get me wrong—I don't mind getting in a relationship, but I'm not in a hurry."
Natalie nodded. "As long as you're happy, I guess."
The two rejoined the pack outside. Everyone had gathered around the firepit with chairs pulled close, roasting marshmallows, laughing, and sharing stories under the night sky.
Stiles stretched his legs contentedly. "I like this. It's nice to gather and laugh and just be relaxed without worrying about someone trying to murder us or create chaos in this town."
"Don't jinx it." Erica warned.
Stiles grinned. "What? What's the worst that could happen? A new evil cult? A demon? The U.S. government? The..."
Suddenly, Lydia screamed.
Scott didn't look at her; he glared at Stiles. "Damn it, Stiles! Did you have to open your stupid mouth?"
"This is not my fau..." Stiles began, but he stopped when he saw everyone else glaring at him, too.
Lydia came back to her senses. "Something bad is coming. It's the same feeling I got the night before our first day of school."
"Wasn't that feeling about the Dread Doctors?" Allison asked.
Lydia shook her head and pointed a finger at the sky. "No. It's about whatever is coming with that storm."
Just then, a loud clap of thunder roared, followed by a flash of lightning. Everyone looked up to see dark clouds gathering with unnatural speed. A violent rain began to fall, and the thunder was so loud it seemed to shake the earth. Lightning started striking the woods not far from the ranch.
Scott raised a brow, his senses focusing. "Something is opening a portal in the woods. I can feel it."
Noshiko's expression was grim. "I think I know what it is."
Scott nodded. "Yeah… I have a guess too."
Stiles threw his hands up. "Then can you two tell us already?"
Scott and Noshiko said in unison. "Ghost Riders."
Deaton's eyes widened. "As in the Wild Hunt?"
"Yes," Noshiko confirmed. "This is how the Wild Hunt begins, and how the Ghost Riders appear in mythology."
Just then, they heard a loud, spectral horse neigh from the woods, followed by more. Soon, the sound of galloping horses began to charge toward them.
Melissa stood up. "Let's get ready, guys. From the sound of it, there are a lot of them. By the way, Noshiko, what are their powers?"
Noshiko listed them quickly. "Intangibility—they can pass through solid matter. Invisibility, but only to non-supernatural creatures. Super strength and speed. But the most fearsome thing about them is their Lasso of Truth."
"Lasso of Truth?" Stiles asked.
"Yes," Noshiko explained. "It's their primary weapon—a glowing, supernatural lasso. When they lasso someone, it forces them to confront a painful, hidden truth. If the person cannot accept or face that truth, they are instantly erased and absorbed into the Hunt."
Lydia frowned. "What do you mean by erased?"
"They remove people from reality itself," Noshiko said gravely. "They make everyone forget them. Even their pictures disappear. The world literally forgets the person ever existed."
Melissa said. "That's terrifying. What if we forget one of us?"
"Don't worry too much, Mom," Scott said, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Their lasso will probably not work on us. We're immune to mind manipulation and control, and for that lasso to work, it needs to manipulate your mind and read your memories." His smirk widened. "Besides, I know something else about the Wild Hunt."
"What is it?" Allison asked.
"If I absorb their leader's power and kill him." Scott said, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "I'll become their leader. I can summon them whenever I want to fight for me."
"Really?" Allison said.
"Yes," Scott confirmed. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do. So, you guys stay back and relax. Let me handle them."
Chapter 211: The Ghost Riders' Defeat
Nov 27, 2025
Scott and the pack walked toward the woods where the echoing neighs and thunderous galloping grew louder with each step.
As they neared the ranch fence, ominous silhouettes emerged through the fog—dozens of pairs of glowing, blood-red eyes cutting through the mist. Moments later, more than fifty Ghost Riders on skeletal, decaying horses fully materialized.
Scott stepped forward. "Okay, guys, stay here. I'll make quick work of them."
"Don't let them touch you with that lasso, or whatever it's called." Allison warned. "It might not work on you like you said, but don't take the risk."
Scott gave her a calm smile. "Alright."
The Ghost Riders charged, hooves shaking the earth.
Scott's gaze locked onto the one leading the charge. He smirked. "So you're their leader, huh? Thank you for bringing me an army."
Scott's eyes glowed red. He released his full aura, a shockwave of pure power erupting from his body and slamming into the incoming horde. The skeletal horses reared back in terror. Several Ghost Riders were thrown off their mounts.
The leader yanked on his reins, calming his terrified horse before whipping it hard. Instead of charging forward, he changed course to flee from Scott at top speed. A deep, piercing shriek echoed from him—commanding the other riders to continue the attack.
The leader galloped a short distance away, stopped, and waved his hand. A swirling space portal began to tear open in the air.
"Scott!" Stiles shouted. "Their leader is trying to run away!"
Scott ignored the charging riders, his gaze fixed on the fleeing leader. "I know. But it's too late for him to escape." In an instant, he teleported, appearing directly behind the leader on his horse. He grabbed the rider by the back of the neck and teleported them both away just as the space portal finished forming.
He slammed the leader face-first into the ground, the impact cracking the earth. Scott drove his claws into the back of the rider's neck to read his memories, but found only a chaotic, formless void. However, within that chaos, he discovered something that made him smile with excitement.
He stopped reading the memories and began absorbing the leader's powers. The Ghost Rider shrieked and struggled violently, but Scott was far too strong. The Rider couldn't break free no matter how violently he struggled.
The other Ghost Riders heard their leader's desperate cries and charged toward Scott to free him. But they were too late. When they were barely twenty meters away, Scott had already drained the last of the leader's power. With a final, brutal twist, he ripped the rider's head from its shoulders, took the glowing Lasso of Truth, and incinerated the corpse with a burst of flame.
Scott turned toward the remaining Riders and let out a roar so powerful it vibrated the air. They froze instantly.
He waved a hand, and a space portal ripped open beside him. Scott sent a mental command, and the entire horde of Ghost Riders bowed in unison before vanishing into the portal. Scott closed it with a thought.
Then looked down at the glowing lasso in his hand. He attempted to burn it, but as the flames consumed the lasso, a wave of green fire surged from it and merged directly into Scott's body.
Scott raised a brow. With a thought, he summoned a small, flickering green flame above his palm. He instantly understood its nature. 'So the lasso's ability merged with me. Anyone I hit with this green flame will be forced to face a truth they refuse to admit. If they can't accept it, they'll become a Ghost Rider in my army. A useful ability, I guess.'
He dismissed the flame and teleported back to his pack, a massive grin on his face. Before anyone could say a word, he swept Allison into his arms, kissed her, then picked her up, and spun her around before setting her down and kissing her again. "Yes!" He shouted, pumping a fist in the air.
He ran straight to Stiles. "High five!"
Stiles, never one to refuse, jumped and slammed his hand against Scott's with a loud crack. Scott then let out a triumphant howl so loud it probably echoed through all of Beacon Hills.
Stiles looked at him, bewildered. "Okay, can you tell us why you're so happy? It can't just be because you got those weaklings as your summons."
Allison added. "Yeah, I've never seen you celebrate after gaining a new ability, no matter what it was. So what exactly did you get from that Ghost Rider?"
Scott calmed down slightly, though a huge smile remained. "You guys guess first!"
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Just tell us."
Instead, Scott looked at Noshiko. "Noshiko… do you know where the Ghost Riders come from?"
Noshiko frowned. "No. The myths never say exactly. Most suggest they are not from our world."
"Exactly! They're not from our world." Scott said, his excitement bubbling over. "They hide in the void between worlds, and they can travel between worlds. So, can you guys guess what ability I got from their leader now?"
Stiles was the first to connect the dots. Pumping his fist, he shouted. "YES!" He grabbed Scott in a bear hug, and the two of them started jumping up and down excitedly, like little kids.
Lydia stared at the idiots bouncing around. "Can someone explain why these two morons are so happy?"
Allison smiled, a dawning realization on her face. "I think... Scott can open portals to other worlds now."
Melissa's eyes went wide. "Really? Is that even possible?"
Allison nodded. "Judging by how happy Scott is, I think it is."
Scott and Stiles finally stopped jumping. Liam asked. "Scott, can you really open portals to other worlds?"
"Yes!" Scott confirmed, beaming. "The Ghost Rider leader could open space portals between worlds, and I gained that ability. What's even better is that it merged with my shadow portal ability and became even stronger."
Stiles said. "So, when are we going to another world?!"
"Give me a few days, maybe a few weeks, to master this new ability." Scott said. "Then we can travel."
Allison placed a calming hand on his arm. "How about we wait until we graduate from high school first? It's only a few months away anyway. And we can't miss the birth of my baby sister or brother."
Scott agreed easily. "That works for me." Then he smirked. "Now… let's celebrate. For an occasion like this, I think we should finally eat Buttercup."
Stiles rubbed his hands together. "Yes! That stupid cow looks very juicy and delicious."
In an instant, every girl's eyes flashed red.
Allison said. "Scott, if you and stupid Stiles dare to touch a single hair on sweet Buttercup, you won't need your new ability to travel to another world. The girls and I will send you both to the underworld ourselves."
Scott looked at the angry girls and swallowed nervously. "We were just joking…"
Stiles nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! Just a joke!"
The pack burst into laughter as they all started heading back to the pack house.
On the way, Isaac asked. "Scott, did you see anything in the Ghost Rider's memories? What do the other worlds look like?"
Scott shook his head. "No, I got nothing useful from his memories, his mind was pure chaos. All I got was the knowledge of his abilities."
"By the way, where's his lasso?" Stiles asked.
Scott tapped his chest. "That thing merged into my body and became one of my abilities."
The pack threw a party that lasted long into the night. They tossed more logs on the fire pit, sang, danced, and spent hours speculating about what the new worlds they would soon visit might be like.