Morning came too quietly.
Not peaceful—just controlled in a way that felt wrong after everything that had happened the night before. Derek was alive. Barely, but alive. That alone shifted things more than I was ready to deal with.
And then came the hunters.
Not just rumors anymore, not background noise.
They were here.
Argent House — Morning
Kate Argent unpacked like she owned the place.
Not rushed. Not careless. Every movement was deliberate, even the way she folded clothes onto the bed. To anyone watching casually, she was just a woman settling in after a long trip.
But nothing about her was casual.
The door burst open.
"Allison!"
Kate barely had time to turn before Allison rushed in, still in pajamas, and threw her arms around her. Kate let out a surprised laugh, hugging her back just as tightly before pulling away to look at her properly.
She froze for a second, then scoffed.
"I don't see you for a year, and you turn into a freaking runway model?"
Allison groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned away slightly, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh my god—stop."
"No, seriously," Kate continued, circling her slightly like she was inspecting her. "Look at you."
She shook her head dramatically.
"I hate you."
"I haven't even showered yet," Allison muttered.
Kate stopped immediately, giving her a look.
"Sweetie, you're a knockout. I hope you've got boys knocking each other's teeth out just to talk to you."
Allison flushed slightly, trying not to smile.
"I kind of have one…"
Kate's tone shifted instantly—lower, sharper, interested.
"You kind of have one? You should kind of have a million."
Allison laughed, shaking her head as she reached toward one of Kate's bags.
"Need help unpacking?"
Kate's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
Fast—too fast.
"Not that one."
The shift was immediate.
Allison pulled back slightly, confused, just a little wary now.
Kate noticed it.
Of course she did.
She forced a smile, loosening her grip.
"Wow. See? You turn gorgeous, and I turn into this kung-fu death grip person. Sorry, sweetie."
Allison nodded, but the hesitation didn't fully leave.
"It's fine."
Kate casually moved the bag to the floor.
Out of reach.
Out of sight.
A beat of silence passed before Allison spoke again.
"Hey… is everything okay with your car?"
Kate was already moving toward the bathroom when she answered.
"Oh yeah. Just needed a jump-start."
Allison frowned slightly.
"…a jump-start?"
That wasn't what her dad had told her.
Kate didn't come back out immediately.
School — Midday
By the time I got to class, I already knew how this was going to go.
Stiles didn't even wait.
"If Derek's not the Alpha," he said, leaning forward immediately, "then who is?"
Better.
At least he was asking the right question.
"I don't know," I said.
That part was still true.
"But Derek isn't the Alpha."
That wasn't up for debate anymore.
Stiles studied me.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
I shrugged slightly. "He doesn't act like one."
Not a lie.
Just not the full truth.
Stiles leaned back, thinking.
"…okay. So if he's not the Alpha, that still leaves a psycho werewolf running around."
"Yeah."
"And you've been hanging around Derek anyway."
I didn't answer immediately.
Because this part wasn't simple.
"He's helping," I said.
That got a reaction.
"He's helping?" Stiles repeated. "Dude, that guy screams serial killer."
"He's not."
"That's not convincing."
"He knows more than we do," I said. "And right now, that matters."
Stiles stared at me for a second.
"…I don't like it."
"I know."
"Stay careful," he added. "Seriously. Something about him is off."
That was fair.
Class
The teacher handed back the tests.
I didn't need to look to know how I did.
Still—
I checked.
A-.
Not perfect, but predictable. Consistent.
Stiles leaned forward.
"Okay, that's more like it."
I didn't respond.
Because my focus wasn't on the paper anymore.
It was on the hallway outside.
Hallway — Later
Derek didn't belong here.
Which meant he had a reason.
I found him before he found me.
Standing near the far end of the hallway, just out of the main flow of students. Still, watching and waiting.
I walked over without hesitation.
"You shouldn't be here," I said.
"You shouldn't either," he replied.
Fair.
"What do you want?" I asked.
He didn't waste time.
"Training."
I nodded slightly.
"I figured."
"You're improving," he said. "But it's not enough."
"I know."
A pause.
Then he added, "Tonight. Preserve."
That lined up.
"Yeah."
His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was still trying to figure something out.
"You're not reacting like a new beta."
I held his gaze.
"Because I'm not acting like one."
That didn't answer his question.
But it didn't need to.
A beat passed.
Then he stepped back.
"Don't be late."
He turned—
And stopped.
Not because of me.
Because of someone else.
Jackson.
Standing a few lockers down, like he'd just happened to be there.
He hadn't.
His eyes moved between us, slow, calculating, like he was putting pieces together he didn't fully understand yet.
Derek didn't react.
Didn't tense.
But I felt the shift anyway.
Attention redirected.
Jackson shut his locker with a sharp click.
"…so that's it?"
I didn't answer.
Neither did Derek.
Jackson stepped closer.
Not aggressive.
Curious.
Which was worse.
"I've been trying to figure this out," he said, looking directly at me now. "You go from barely making the team to suddenly outplaying everyone, and now you're hanging around with…" he glanced at Derek, "…this guy."
Derek's expression didn't change.
"What are you selling him?" Jackson asked.
I almost sighed.
There it was.
Derek frowned slightly.
"…what?"
Jackson stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Steroids," he said. "Or something better. What is it? Dianabol? HGH?"
For a second—
nothing moved.
Then Derek let out a short breath.
"Steroids?"
The way he said it—
flat, unimpressed—
made it clear exactly what he thought of that idea.
Jackson didn't back off.
"Don't play dumb," he said. "There's no way he just—" he gestured at me, frustrated, "—gets better overnight without help."
Derek looked at me briefly.
Then back at Jackson.
"If he needed help," he said calmly, "you'd already know."
That landed.
Jackson's expression tightened.
Not convinced.
But not dismissing it either.
Derek turned to leave.
Conversation over.
Jackson grabbed his arm.
That was a mistake.
Derek moved instantly.
Not violently.
Not like before.
Just fast enough to break the grip and step back, forcing distance without escalating.
For a second, his control tightened—sharp, restrained.
Jackson noticed that.
Didn't understand it.
But noticed.
Derek stilled.
Then exhaled once, grounding himself.
"Don't do that again," he said quietly.
Not a threat.
A warning.
Jackson didn't respond.
Not immediately.
Because now—
he was thinking.
Derek didn't wait.
He turned and walked off.
This time, no hesitation.
Jackson watched him go.
Then looked at me.
Longer than before.
"You really expect me to believe there's nothing going on?" he asked.
I met his gaze.
"There isn't anything you'd understand."
That wasn't the answer he wanted.
Good.
He shook his head slightly, half amused, half irritated.
"…I'll figure it out," he said.
Yeah. He would try.
He walked off.
But not before glancing back once more.
Still thinking.
Still watching.
"Scott?"
I turned.
Allison.
"Hey."
"Hey."
A small pause.
Then—
"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"
Straight to the point.
No hesitation.
"With your family?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Yeah. My dad already likes you," she added, a small smile forming. "This is just… more official, I guess."
That made more sense.
I held her gaze for a second.
Then nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be there."
Her smile widened slightly.
"Good."
She stepped back.
"I'll text you the time."
"Okay."
She walked off.
Stiles slid in next to me almost immediately.
"Dinner?" he asked.
I glanced at him. "You heard that?"
"I hear everything," he said. "Also, that's not a casual dinner. That's a meeting the parents dinner."
"I've already met her dad."
"Not like this," he said. "This is evaluation mode."
I exhaled slightly.
"Yeah. I figured."
He leaned closer.
"…you sure about this?"
Not just about dinner—about everything. Derek. Hunters. All of it.
"Yeah," I said.
Not because it was safe.
Because it wasn't avoidable.
Stiles watched me for a second.
Then nodded.
"…okay. Just don't walk in there blind."
I didn't.
Not this time.