After last night no one was ecstatic over the idea of having Scott's first Beta coming at a time like this. Especially with the full moon tonight and everything going on with Kate, the mouthless murderer, and Lydia's mysterious code. We were all just trying to be supportive for Scott's sake since he was showing the beginning signs of a breakdown.

Stiles was even more frantic as we tried to break open the code Lydia unknowingly wrote, a keyword required to access it that we didn't have any leads on. Things were starting to get tense and it was definitely taking its toll on us because even though no one said it, we knew this wouldn't end well.

It felt weird being in school at a time like this, but since most of my classes had Liam in them Scott asked me to not skip and instead keep an eye on him. So far he hadn't even done anything, but he had pulled Mason to sit far away from me in the periods we shared, much to the other boy's confusion.

I was walking towards my final class of the day when Stiles texted to meet him near Coach's office to let me know what the plan was for tonight. Everyone else had met up during their free periods but I had to tail Liam so I couldn't join them. 

When I got there I saw him looking up and down the halls impatiently, waiting for me to arrive with crossed arms. 

"Took you long enough." Stiles snarked as I came to stand beside him. I sent a sarcastic smile his way, not bothering to threaten him right now. 

"Were you guys able to catch up to Liam?" I ask. He and Scott mentioned they would try to corner the boy this morning and get him to understand what was happening, but his sheepish wince gave me my answer.

"Great job." I give them a thumbs up which Stiles whacks away.

"We tried but the little bastard didn't want to talk." He rolled his eyes at the mention of Liam. I mirrored his action and put my hand on my hips as I openly scowled. 

"No kidding? It's almost like we kidnapped him last night."

Stiles pointed his finger in my face. "Scott kidnapped him, we aided and abetted."

"It's an important distinction to make." He added when I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What's the plan?" I shake my head and move the conversation along, wanting to get the information so I could go to my last period already, especially since Liam was there.

"Kira's gonna ask him out to a party tonight." Stiles claps his hands and I cringe. "Seriously? Kira's even more awkward than Scott."

I think back to when the two first met and how they were like middle schoolers, stealing shy glances rather than just talking to each other normally. They still haven't even gone on an actual date yet. For god's sake, Kira's dad asked Scott out to dinner before she did.

Stiles gives an agreeable tilt of his head but shakes it off, trying to look hopeful instead. 

"She's nervous but she's got it. You just have to let us know Liam's in your class and make sure he doesn't try to leave early or anything, alright?"

I nod, taking my orders seriously. "Yeah, okay. I have Art with him right now. I'll text you if he shows up and when class is about to let out."

"Be careful." Stiles and I separate after his words, going in opposite directions. 

The class had already started so when I opened the door to the room, all eyes were on me.

"Nice of you to join us, Jac." Miss Lace, the school Art teacher, crossed her arms as I entered. She was a thin woman who seemed friendly but she had a very decent intimidation stance, I'll give her that.

People around the room chuckled at my expense which made Lace give them a brief glance, telling them to get back to their work in front of them. I gave her a sheepish smile, trying my best to look apologetic.

"Sorry, I had to use the bathroom." She hums at my half-decent excuse, unbelieving. Lace turned around and walked over to her desk, slapping the top of a stack of blank canvases she had staked on top of it. 

"Since you enjoy being out of class so much, why don't you take these upstairs to Mister Yukimura for me, and we can call your tardiness even, deal?"

I chuckle at her bargaining, placing my helmet down on one of the shelves nearby as an agreement.

"Who wants to help Jac carry these up?" Miss Lace turned to the classroom, her eyes scanning the students briefly.

A few people raised their hands, just wanting to get out of class. One of the guys winked grossly at me though as he held his hand up and I openly shuddered with disgust. 

I was about to tell Lace I could handle carrying the stack myself with no problem until I saw her eyes land on Liam who was far too obvious about crouching behind his easel.

My god, he may not like Scott and Stiles but he was just as clueless as they were.

"Liam," Lace called out to him with a subtle roll of her eyes. "Help Jac."

"Can't she just do it herself?" Liam whined, not realizing how it sounded until everyone turned to look at him with heavy judgment.

"Dude." Mason groaned for his best friend's sake.

Liam's face turned a deep shade of red as he came up to the front of the class and wordlessly rushed to grab half the stack. Miss Lace didn't say anything but stared at him with disapproval as she placed a hall pass onto the rest of the stack on her desk that I picked up.

She opened the door for us and instructed us that we don't take too long before going back into the room. Liam practically bolted up the steps of the stairwell in front of our classroom, wanting to get away from me as soon as he could.

I felt compelled to tell him something but couldn't figure out what. 

The walk to Mister Yukimura's room was silent, the only sound coming from our footsteps. When we got to Yukimura's, Liam knocked on the door with his foot since the canvases took up both our hands. The older man opened the door to his classroom and smiled brightly at us as he held out his arms for the delivery.

We stacked them into his arms and he nodded graciously and I slipped the hall pass off my stack before he stepped back.

"Please tell Miss Lace that my students appreciate her donation for our projects!" He laughed before closing the door and I smiled at how adorable the grown man was.

Liam didn't hesitate before taking off, heading back in the direction of the stairs.

"Liam, hold up!" I jogged up behind him but he didn't slow down at all.

"No way." He snapped as he continued to walk away from me.

"Please, can we just talk?" I pressed even though I still had no idea what I was going to say.

Liam spun around to face me and I had to jerk back so I didn't run into his chest. He was furious and he let it show with that snarl on his face as he creped closer to me. 

I backed up into the lockers behind me to get some space but Liam kept coming closer until he was practically only an inch away.

"You wanna talk? Okay, let's talk. You and your stupid friends kidnapped me last night after one of them bit me." His breath hit my face and I could smell a distant scent of peppermint.

I wanted to push him back, the feeling of his body so close to me was disconcerting. 

"Technically Stiles and I aided and abetted, Scott kidnapped you." I whisper, unable to speak any higher as I quote Stiles lamely. I made fun of him when he said it but now I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Is this a joke to you?" Liam fumed with a clenched jaw. Beneath his aggravated expression I saw the desperation in his eyes, and I recognized that look so well it was almost painful.

"I know you feel scared but I promise you, we can help." My words don't end up giving him any comfort and Liam shakes his head at me.

"You don't know anything about how I feel."

He had a point on the whole werewolf aspect of it all, but I couldn't stop seeing that look in his eyes now. 

It was a look of longing. Longing for answers, for help, for anything to keep the isolation from consuming him whole. 

I saw that same look in my own eyes every time I stared into a mirror.

"Not exactly, but I do understand, okay? You're not alone in this, Liam." I tell him with sincerity, hoping he could hear the conviction in my voice.

"Yeah right." Liam scoffed, turning his head away to avoid meeting my eyes

I don't know why but something in my gut forced my mind to try and think of comforting things to say to him. It was the same way I felt when Kira was sad, Lydia was in pain, or Scott was too hard on himself. Like I had some responsibility to take care of him and keep him safe.

"Hey, I'm serious." I took a breath before I reached out and touched his arm, my skin making contact with his. 

It took a lot for me to do that, and I was grateful he finally turned to face me because of the action. 

"Look you don't have to trust us, you don't even have to like us, but believe me when I say this, you are not alone. I promise you that."

Liam held my gaze for what felt like forever and the frustration faded from his face and his breathing settled. He looked like he was about to say something until one of the doors down the hall opened and a few people walked out of class. 

He took a few steps back from me when he noticed how close we were and how odd that would look to outsiders. With a shake of his head, he turns and leaves to go back downstairs, and this time I don't stop him. 

I follow behind him, giving him a decent amount of space as I try to forget the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips. 

Before I went into the class I sent a quick text to Stiles that Liam was here, knowing he would pass the information on to the others.

When I went back inside I handed the hall pass back to Miss Lace, then went to sit at one of the empty easels far away from Liam. I figured I shouldn't try and press my luck with being around him and also didn't want him to ditch class because I lingered too much.

Time passed and soon everyone was packing up for the end of the school day. I texted Stiles that we were about to be dismissed and got a smiley face as a reply. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but hoped for the best. 

When the bell rang I used grabbing my helmet from the shelf up front as a reason to let everyone walk past me, exiting the room once Liam and Mason had. 

The hallway was filled with students since school was over and everyone was trying to rush home. I panicked when I didn't see Kira around, though I spotted Stiles hiding behind a row of lockers close by.

He waved for me to come over and I did, silently asking what was happening but he said nothing, only turning me to face the direction of the stairwell.

I didn't realize what I was supposed to be looking at until I saw Liam completely entranced by Kira coming down the stairs in front of our classroom. I laughed proudly with Stiles as Kira confidently strode down the steps, her eyes never leaving Liam as she made her way down to him. Liam could act tough all he wanted, but everyone could fall prey to the innocent charm of Kira Yukimura.

"Atta girl," Stiles muttered with a smirk and I joined him, holding out my hand for a high five that he gladly reciprocated.

Everything seemed like it was going to go according to plan, that is until Kira missed the last step on the stairs and face-planted right into the floor below her.

Stiles and I groaned in sympathy as she landed, someone actually stepping over her to get to the stairs instead of helping her up. Thankfully, Liam was decent and crouched beside her to check if she was okay.

Kira took her fall with stride and flipped her hair back as she lay on the floor, putting her hand under her chin, smiling up at Liam. She said something to him and it was hard to see his reaction at first, but when he helped Kira stand he seemed relaxed which was a good sign.

Without warning, Liam turned to face the direction Stiles and I were in and I spun around to fake a conversation with the older boy instead of openly gawking at Kira and Liam.

"Is he looking?" I panted and Stiles just stared into my eyes with a neutral expression as we leaned against the wall, trying to look as casual as possible.

"I literally can't tell. Pull out your phone to use it as a mirror."

I squinted at him with annoyance clear on my face at his useless suggestion. "How are you the dumbest genius I've ever met?"

Stiles paused for a second to think about what I had just said. "Is that a compliment?"

"Hey," Kira appeared next to us and Stiles jumped as he hadn't noticed her walking over.

"So? Did he say yes?" I ask and Stiles nods, leaning forward eagerly. 

Kira holds up a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. Stiles brings his fist down to cheer silently and I couldn't help but mirror his enthusiasm.

"You nailed it." I complimented her and she gave a shy grin in return but then bit her lips with apprehension in her eyes.

"I think he knows something up though." She noted which earned confused reactions from Stiles and I. "He asked if Jac would be there too."

"What did you tell him?" Stiles inquired, voicing my concerns. I regretted speaking to Liam now, it was a stupid conversation that didn't help anything, and it could potentially ruin our entire plan.

"I told him I didn't know. I had no idea if that would make him change his mind." Kira confessed with her shoulder shrinking, whatever confidence she had just earned for herself fading.

"He said yes, though. I'm sure everything is going to be fine." Stiles offered, but there was still some apprehension in his tone because he didn't fully believe it either.

"I'll tail you tonight when you go to pick him up just so you have back up." I told Kira, which made her seem more relaxed.

Stiles pulled out his phone to look at his clock. "Okay, we don't have much time to get everything set at the lake house. Lydia's heading up there now to get everything cleared out of the basement and I have to get Malia's chains from my house, then go pick up something for Liam."

I nodded at his list then turned to Kira. "What time are you picking him up?"

"I told him seven. I figured it'd be too obvious if I said anything earlier since it's supposed to be a party."

Stiles shook his hands nervously trying to get some of the tension out of his body. The full moon was in a matter of hours and even though things were seemingly falling into place we were all still on edge because things could fall apart at the drop of a hat.

"I'm gonna take my stuff to the motel, let me know when you're ready." I wait for Kira to agree to my words before leaving the two juniors. 

There was a knot in my stomach that wasn't fading and I couldn't shake it. It wasn't like I was completely void of nerves all the time, but this feeling wasn't going away and I began to wonder if this is how Stiles feels in his constant state of anxiety.

When I got to the motel I parked my bike in my usual spot and was about to head to my room when I heard someone call out my name. I turned and saw Lily waving at me from across the street, closing the lid to the large dumpster on the side of the diner as she had just taken out the trash.

I smiled and headed in her direction, stopping at the edge of the curb that led into the motel, and she did the same with the turn for the diner.

"Hey Lily." I greeted her kindly but she didn't match my energy, crossing her thin arms over her chest.

"That's all you got to say after last night? You ran off outta nowhere, didn't even come back for your burger. Scared the hell outta me!" She scolded from across the street and I couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous we must've looked to people passing by in their cars.

"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry. My friend was at the hospital and I wanted to make sure he was okay with everything that happened." I explained, not technically lying because Lily had always been good to me and deserved some semblance of the truth.

"They okay?" Lily uncrossed her arms, her face now twisted with concern for a stranger. 

"They're fine."

Lily looked relieved which only added to my admiration for the older woman. "And I'll stop by again this week and leave a good tip to make up for it."

Lily started to back away, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at me. "You better, Jackie!"

I laughed at her antics and terrible nickname for me, finally heading to my room. She called out to me again though, and I paused in the middle of the parking lot to see why. 

"Stay safe tonight, by the way. It's a full moon and that brings out all the weirdos in this town." She warned with a wink, not realizing how accurate what she just said was. She waved at me before the doors to the diner shut behind her.

When I entered my room I dropped my backpack on the floor and kneeled beside my bed frame, pulling out one of my pistol cases from under the bed and laying it onto the mattress. I studied the case for a second before unclasping the locks on the side to reveal the Glock 27 pressed into the charcoal foam inside.

I left the case to go to my dresser and pull out my waist holsters, lifting my shirt and jacket to wrap it around my torso. I went back to my bedside and picked up the gun from its case, slipping it into the holster behind me. 

I paused as I did so, thinking about the possibility of using the gun on Liam tonight.

He would heal from any wounds that he could possibly endure, and I wouldn't deliver any fatal shots if he did attack me, but the thought of hurting him was something I resented more than I originally realized. 

I remember a few full moons where I had to restrain Scott and Isaac, even Boyd and Cora when they ran loose from the Alpha pack. I wasn't put off by having to fight them, not like with Liam.

I tried not to dwell on why that was and sat in silence and waited for Kira, telling myself it was just nerves for what would most likely be an eventful night.

~

||| A/N |||

LMK what you guys think of Jac so far! 

I wanted to say that her usual weapons of choice are going to be her Glock and two daggers. You know, like Chris always has his Desert Eagle, Braeden her shotgun, and Allison her bow. It's her equivalent to their signature gear :)