Teen Wolf: Savage Roots
Chapter 7 — The Weight of Everything
Night fell heavy over Beacon Hills.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
---
Scott didn't sleep.
He stood alone outside his house, staring into the dark.
Something felt wrong.
Not danger.
Not yet.
Something deeper.
Like he was being watched.
Judged.
Weighed.
Then—
Everything stopped.
No wind.
No sound.
No heartbeat.
Scott's breath caught.
"…What the hell…"
The world around him cracked.
Not physically.
But something shifted—
Like reality itself bent.
And suddenly—
He wasn't there anymore.
---
Darkness.
Endless.
Silent.
Scott stood alone.
Then—
A voice.
Not loud.
Not quiet.
Just… everywhere.
"You carry them all."
Scott turned sharply.
"Show yourself!"
A pause.
Then—
Pain.
Scott dropped to his knees.
His head exploded with images—
Not one.
Not two.
All of them.
At once.
---
Allison Argent dying in his arms.
Blood.
Tears.
Her voice fading.
---
Derek Hale burning—
Holding the enemy as the fire consumed him.
Not screaming.
Just accepting it.
---
Aiden Steiner collapsing—
Reaching out—
Gone.
---
Enemies.
Friends.
People he couldn't save.
People he should have saved.
All of it.
Every death.
Every failure.
Every moment—
Crashing into him at once.
Scott screamed.
It lasted—
Two seconds.
That's all.
But it felt like a lifetime.
---
He collapsed onto the ground, gasping.
Tears streamed down his face.
His body shook.
"Stop…" he choked out.
"Please…"
The voice returned.
Calm.
Cold.
"You feel it."
Scott clenched his fists.
"…What do you want?"
A pause.
Then—
Something shifted in the darkness.
Not a shape.
Not a body.
Just… presence.
"You fight to protect them."
The voice echoed.
"To preserve something that is already decaying."
Scott forced himself up.
"You don't know anything about us."
A low, almost amused sound filled the void.
"I know everything about you."
Silence.
Then the voice continued.
"Humanity…"
"It is a flower."
Scott frowned, breathing heavy.
"It blooms."
"It lives."
"And then it rots."
The words dragged.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"Tell me, Scott McCall…"
"If you placed a human on an island…"
"With a bear…"
"Or with another human…"
"They choose the bear."
Scott's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
"They fear what they are."
The voice sharpened.
"They are the problem."
"Not the monsters."
A pause.
Longer this time.
More dangerous.
"I want a world without rules."
Scott's chest tightened.
"A world under my control."
The darkness shifted again.
"A world where eternity is not a dream…"
"But a certainty."
Scott shook his head.
"You're insane."
A soft laugh echoed.
"Am I?"
"Maybe I am.
Another step closer.
Still nothing visible.
"But you…"
The voice dropped lower.
"…you interest me."
Scott froze.
"Because you carry something."
A beat.
"Something that belongs to me."
Scott's breath caught.
"What—"
The world snapped.
---
Scott dropped back onto the ground outside his house.
Air rushed into his lungs.
His heart slammed violently in his chest.
He looked around.
Everything was normal again.
But he wasn't.
His hands trembled.
Because whatever that was—
It wasn't coming.
It was already here.
---
Across town…
At Beacon Hills High School field—
The lights were off.
The air cold.
Empty.
Eli Hale walked alone, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
Late practice.
Coach had pushed them hard again.
Eli yawned slightly.
"…Yeah, I'm definitely skipping tomorrow."
He stepped onto the field.
And stopped.
The wind died.
Just like it did for Scott.
Eli frowned.
"…Okay, that's weird."
Then—
Something moved.
Fast.
Behind him.
Eli turned—
Too late.
A shadow lunged.
Eli reacted on instinct—
His eyes flashed gold.
Bones cracked.
Claws extended.
He blocked the strike just in time.
"Okay—definitely not weird," Eli muttered.
The shadow figure didn't speak.
Didn't hesitate.
It attacked again.
Fast.
Precise.
Eli ducked, countered, swung—
The figure blocked everything.
Like it knew his moves.
Eli growled, pushing forward.
Claws slashed—
He landed a hit.
The shadow stumbled back—
But didn't fall.
Instead—
It tilted its head.
Studying him.
Like he was a test.
Eli charged again.
Harder.
Faster.
Their fight echoed across the empty field—
Blow after blow.
Strike after strike.
Eli pushed with everything he had.
But the figure—
Didn't tire.
Didn't slow down.
Then—
It moved faster.
Too fast.
A sharp slash—
Eli gasped.
Pain shot through his arm.
He stumbled back.
Blood dripped from a deep cut across his forearm.
He looked up—
Ready to keep fighting—
But the figure had stopped.
It stood still.
Watching him.
Then—
It stepped back into the darkness.
And disappeared.
Gone.
Like it was never there.
Eli stood there, breathing hard.
Confused.
Angry.
"…Yeah," he muttered.
"That's new."
He looked down at the wound.
Blood still dripping.
Something about it felt wrong.
Not just a normal cut.
Deeper.
Colder.
Like it carried something with it.
Eli clenched his jaw.
Because for the first time—
He realized something.
This wasn't random.
He wasn't attacked by accident.
He was chosen.
---
Somewhere far beyond sight—
The darkness shifted.
And something watched.
Patient.
Waiting.
Because the game…
Had finally begun.