Right after spotting Brett's name, I scanned the field for Violet and Garrett. Garrett stood alone now chatting with the other players, his cocky smile far too wide. My eyes darted to the bleachers where Mason sat, smiling down at his phone, the seats beside him still empty. Violet wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Damn." I cursed and ignored the stares of the people I had to push past as I sprinted towards the direction of where the medics carried Brett.

Scott didn't run at the same time I did, but within seconds of me stopping in front of the double doors of the school, he was at my side. There were no blood-curdling screams coming from any direction so I took that as a hopeful sign.

"I'll round the front to see if the ambulance is still here, you go to the locker room, if you don't find him come back here." My tone was direct, not wanting for a situation like this to have any chance of a mishap.

I don't think I could handle any decapitations today.

"Be careful." Scott orders before bolting into the building.

I set a quick pace towards the front of the school, my boots scuffing against the pavement as I tried to be silent but fast. The ambulance was parked in the lot closest to the field in case of emergencies. As I approached it I peered inside the windows and squinted through the darkness but came up empty.

Realization dawned on me that this meant the medics never made it out of the locker room, and Scott was about to walk into a trap. I turned and threw caution to the wind with how much noise I made as I raced in his direction.

I could see Stiles coming towards me from the field, the scrimmage continuing behind him. The game was back on and none of those people knew what was happening right next to them.

"Locker room!" I call out to him, both of us pushing through the double doors into the building. Funny how it was only a few hours ago that the boy's locker room with Stiles was exactly where I didn't want to be.

I could see the body of one of the medics laying halfway outside the locker room entrance, hopefully just unconscious. Stiles tripped on his own feet and collided with the door frame, barely dodging the body.

"Oh wow." He said with surprise as he stared into the room. I came up behind him, my posture relaxing at Stiles' calm demeanor. 

Scott stood over three more bodies on the floor of the locker room, small beads of sweat dripping from his temple. One body was the other medic near the lockers, the second was Brett laying face first on the damp tiles, and the third was Violet knocked out right beneath Scott.

I smirked at Scott who looked annoyed. The image of Violet trying to go one-on-one with him? Hilarious.

"You better call your dad." Scott tells Stiles as we observe the scene in front of us.

My eyes fall onto Brett as he starts a vicious fit of coughing, his body jerking as they shake him but he's too weak to move. Scott and I squat on either side of him while Stiles stands guard in the hall, calling his father.

"Werewolf?" I ask when I notice Scott sniffing the air around us.

"Yeah, I didn't even realize earlier." He frowns. 

"Some werewolves can mask their scent, it makes them weaker but in a new environment I'm sure it's worth it." I tell him as I reach out, my fingers finding Brett's pulse point on his neck, his heart beating far too fast.

Now that I was close enough to examine Brett, I could see the gash on his leg that oozes not only blood but a mysterious yellow substance that was far too bright to be a normal bodily fluid. Wolfsbane poisoning. 

It seemed like a hybrid strain, and not something I knew how to help him with. 

"We need to get him out of here, get him to Deaton." I say and Scott nods in agreement. Brett moans painfully as we lift him from the floor.  

Stiles came back towards us, putting his phone in the pocket of his shorts.

"My dad's on his way, so is yours." Stiles had a hint of nervousness in his voice at the mention of Scott's father who was starting to get far too close to our world for comfort.

Scott gestures for Stiles to take Brett from him. "I'll stay and cover for us, just get him to Deaton's. I'll call ahead and let him know you're coming." Stiles takes Scott's place, huffing with the weight of Brett against him.

Scott looks at me. "Go with him, I doubt Garrett is gonna stick around when he sees the cops and Stiles will need protection with Brett."

I wanted to decline and tell Scott to go instead, but logically I knew that would be a terrible idea. Stiles watched me with those same sorry eyes as earlier, knowing I didn't want to be around him.

"Guys, go." Scott orders when we don't move and Brett starts coughing again.

I ignore my resistance to being near Stiles and suck it up, moving first. We had to carry Brett as he was barely conscious, and it honestly felt like Stiles was pushing most of his weight onto me, but we got him out to the parking lot as quickly as we could.

Sirens were starting to get closer and we wordlessly agreed to move faster. Stiles unlocked the Jeep and opened the passenger side door with his free hand. I didn't pull the seat forward but instead just climbed into the Jeep and knelt on the driver's seat, holding out my arms to help pull Brett into the car.

Stiles slams the door and rounds towards the driver's side, and I squeeze into the back of the Jeep between the seats to give him space. It was a tight fit but I made due without having to shove my butt in Brett's face.

Stiles started the Jeep, caressing the wheel smoothly as it started up right away, cooing softly at how grateful he was at his 'baby'. I cringed at his actions, settling for checking on Brett rather than watch Stilinski make a fool of himself.

The foam from Brett's mouth had dribbled down his chin so I reached out and used the sleeve of my hoodie to smear it away to provide some kind of comfort. I didn't exactly like him, but no one deserved a death like this. Slow, painful, and surrounded by strangers. There was no honor in it.

As we pulled out of the parking lot and made the familiar journey towards the clinic, police cars passed us. Their red and blue lights reflected on our faces as they sped into the school. 

Stiles was sure to drive discreetly, his Jeep already so obvious to those on the police force, so he had to blend in or risk us getting pulled over and asked questions with a werewolf riding shotgun.

Eventually, the lights and sirens fade, and it's just us, the road, and a groaning Brett who was twisting in his seat trying to fight off the poison.

"We need to talk about earlier." Stiles says, his eyes on the road but his attention elsewhere.

"Jesus Stiles, right now, seriously?" I glare at him as he makes a situation that shouldn't be about us, about us.

He looks at my reflection in the rearview mirror as he starts to fidget in his usual Stiles fashion, hands and body jerking in random twitches to match his internal anxiety.

"Well, you won't talk to me any other way so yeah, now."

When I don't respond he continues on his own with his hands faintly hitting the steering wheel, pent up aggression finding relief in the minor act of hitting. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for letting it slip with Liam about, about -"

"About me being a murderer? You can say it, Stiles. We both know what I am." I snapped at him.

If they all knew what I had done now, then what was the point of hiding it? What was the point of trying to pretend I was anything different than what I was supposed to be? I was a killer since I was a child and I would always be one. It didn't matter how many people I saved, those lives would never outweigh the ones I had stolen.

"You're not a murderer." Stiles counters.

"When you kill people, yeah, you're a murderer." I narrow my eyes at the back of his head.

Stiles turned to look at me for a split second before facing the road again. "It's not like that was you. It was Kate and Gerard, they manipulated you and took advantage of you."

I wanted to shout at him to focus on the road and not get us into a car accident but my temper got the best of me at the mention of Kate and Gerard.

"Oh, please, I could've stopped, Stiles. Stop acting like I was weak! I had a choice to leave." The accusation that I was some sort of... what, a victim? No. There are people that actually faced abuse and I wasn't one of them.

"You were weak! You were a kid who just wanted a home. You're a victim, why can't you see that? Stop convincing yourself that you asked for those things to happen to you!" Stiles yelled back at me with the same ferocity, not backing down. His voice cracked but he didn't let that stop him from speaking his mind, his nostrils flaring with each breath.

"I chose to stay. Don't call me a victim, I'm not a damn victim." I sneered with disgust at Stiles' accusation.

Victim.

How dare he.

Stiles gave an empty laugh, no amusement to be found in it. "Yes, you are. I mean come on she abused you! I've seen the scars, okay? I know what she did to you."

Brett coughed and started to shake, and in a way, I was thankful for him because it allowed me to compose myself. I reached out and wiped Brett's face again and checked his pulse, keeping my focus on him rather than Stiles who still had heated tension in his shoulders.

"I don't want to talk about this." I clench my jaw, holding back from saying anything I could possibly regret to Stiles in the heat of the moment.

Stiles shakes his head and tightens his grip on the steering wheel. "I don't care, we're talking about it. You keep burying yourself and you won't let any of us help you come back to the surface and once you realize how deep you are, it'll be too late for you. Why can't you see that I care about you? Why can't you see that I love-"

"Stop." I breathed out.

"Jac -" He tries to continue but I refuse to let him.

"Don't, Stiles. Don't say it because you don't mean it. You feel sorry for me, you don't... you don't feel that." I force my sentences out, unable to say the actual word he was about to say. He didn't feel that, he felt sympathy for me and that was all.

To feel that for me... it was wrong. No one could ever feel that for me and be completely sane.

"Yes I do, and fine, if you don't want to hear it I won't say it, but I mean it. You're my friend. I messed up and I'm sorry but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you forgive me." Stiles says genuinely and the slight glaze of wetness in his eyes brings a pain to my chest that was almost unbearable.

Maybe I did want Stiles to say the words, maybe I wanted them to all say it, and maybe, I wanted to say it back. But I couldn't.

To love someone means putting them before yourself, and to be loved by me is almost a death sentence. So I couldn't say the words, because to be that selfish and admit it was guaranteeing all of them early graves.

I couldn't say it, but I also couldn't be angry anymore.

"What about eating an almond?" I ask casually as if Stiles and I hadn't just been in a heated argument. Stiles glanced back at me, hesitating to respond as he tried to see if I was serious or not.

"I'm allergic to almonds...?" He speaks slowly, unsure of where this was headed.

With a displeased hum I stick my nose in the air. "So you wouldn't do whatever it takes then?"

Stiles lets out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head at me as the tension fades from his body. "If it meant you forgiving me I'd eat every single almond on this planet." He said genuinely as an understanding smile began to grow on his face.

I paused for a moment as I watched him with an obvious adoration in my eyes. He forgave me so easily and played along because he knew this was all I could do.

"I'm not used to this, Stiles. I'm not used to being open and honest all the time. I try, but I'm not always good at it."

He seems surprised by my admission and gives it a moment of thought before answering.

"Neither am I, but that's what makes us a good team, right?" He says it like it's the simplest thing in the world, and I feel my chest swell at the thought.

"Right." I agree softly, thinking of how far we'd come since the first time we met.

I wanted to punch him in the face so badly then, and admittedly still do, but now I would feel bad afterward. Stiles didn't even trust me back then, and always threatened to call CPS on me whenever we spoke. I honestly thought was funny at the time, but I'd never tell him that.

Brett began his coughing fit again, his hacking sounding raw as he stole our attention.

"Should we feel guilty about doing this in front of him as he slowly dies?" Stiles asks rhetorically as he presses his foot down on the gas, going faster as it dawned on us that Brett might not have much time left.

I moved to wipe the foam from his face but it returned seconds later as he groaned and twisted in his seat. His hands were palming at his chest now, fisting the fabric of his jersey weakly.

Finally, the clinic came into view and Stiles pulled into the backlot, parking next to Derek's Cruiser. The back door to the clinic opened when we parked, Derek standing in the doorway with a determined scowl set on his face like usual.

He came over to the passenger side door, Stiles rushing to come up behind him. I help push Brett into his arms, Derek moving to haul him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Stiles trails behind him with his hands up to catch Brett in case Derek slips as they go inside. I squeeze through the seats and jump out of the car, hurrying behind them.

When I entered I saw Stiles and Derek lowering Brett onto the observation table, Deaton off to the side studying his different tools laid out in front of him.

"Take his shirt and pads off." Deaton ordered without a reason as to why.

Stiles and Derek obliged though, tossing Brett's jersey to the side and unfastening his pads that fell to the floor at our feet. They tugged off his bottom shirt too, exposing his clammy skin.

Brett's mouth started to foam again and I figured it would be a good idea to get a damp rag and clean his face, but before I could do that he started seizing violently on the table and the poison spewing out of his mouth at an alarming rate.

"Hold him down!" Deaton ordered and we all lunged forward to pin Brett before he fell from the table. Derek held onto his right arm while Stiles had his left, and I pressed down on the front of his shins to prevent him from kneeing Deaton.

"What the hell is happening to this kid?" Stiles yelled as Brett continued shaking and had yet to calm down like before.

Deaton walks over to us, his sterilized scalpel in hand as his eyes scan the werewolf on the table. "He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane. I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible."

He goes to trace the spot of incision but Brett's wild movements prevent him from getting close enough to do so. I tried to force Brett's body down but I knew it wasn't helping much as he began to become more alert.

"Hey Derek, how about a little werewolf strength?" Stiles glares across the table to Derek who should've been able to pin Brett down easily. Whatever Kate did to him, it was growing into something more.

"Yeah, I'm not the only one here with werewolf strength." Derek bites back defensively. I can tell he was surprised by his lack of power too though. 

"If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him." Deaton informs us with a tense expression as his scalpel hovered above Brett's chest.

"I don't think I can hold him." Stiles pants out as Brett's arms start to push at him and Derek.

I look up to the young werewolf's face and see his eyes were now open and fiercely wide as he realized he was in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, one of which had a scalpel ready to cut into his chest.

Brett throws Stiles and Derek back, both of them crashing into the tables behind them on either side of the room. He kicks at Deaton and I, causing us to stumble back. Brett jumps off the observation table and his eyes dart around the room, looking between us and the exits.

He moved to run to the door closest to him so I had to stop him, grabbing one of the thick metal trays from off the counter and slamming it over the back of his head when he turned. He fell to the floor, his body limp and eyes shut in an unconscious state.

"I was just about to do that." An unwelcome voice said from behind me. I glanced back and saw Peter smirking at all of us, another stupid v-neck on his body.

"Well, as always Peter, you weren't needed." I drop the dented metal tray from my hands to the floor, the metal clang echoing. Stiles goes to Brett, tilting his head down closer to the werewolf. 

"Doc, I don't think he's breathing."

Deaton quickly came to join Stiles on the floor and placed a hand onto Brett's shoulder before slicing into the center of his chest. Stiles cringed and looked off to the side while I watched carefully as Deaton's scalpel punctured Brett's chest and allowed yellow smoke to emerge from the cavity.

Brett was gasping as the gaseous poison left him but settled when it fully dissipated. I knelt beside him, reaching out and to clean his face with the sleeve of my jacket once more, hopefully for the last time this night.

"Is he okay?" Stiles aimed the question at Deaton as we all stared at Brett. "I think he'll be fine, but probably out for a while."

A low voice started to come from Brett's lips. He was still unconscious but he was muttering under his breath. "Can you hear that? I think he's saying something."

We leaned down to get a better chance of hearing what he was saying.

"The sun, the moon, the truth. The sun, the moon, the truth..." Brett repeated over and over again. Stiles and I both looked visibly confused but Deaton had a familiar glint in his eyes.

"Three things cannot long be hidden. The sun, the moon, and the truth. It's Buddhist." He explained and glanced up at Derek, whose eyes fell on Peter. I turned and saw the older wolf look almost annoyed as he connected the dots in his mind.

"Satomi." He said, his tone laced with faint venom.

"Satomi? Oak Creek Satomi?" Stiles asked, the name belonging to the werewolf Noshiko told us about that she met at Camp Oak Creek. The one who helped slay the Nogitsune. She must've been one of the oldest werewolves alive if she was still around after all this time, and a total badass in my opinion.

Derek came forward and helped Stiles lift Brett, the two of them laying the boy back on the examination table. 

"The last time I ever saw her I was a child. I recognize the mantra though." He explained to us, his eyes venturing to Peter again who lingered off to the side, his presence here unknown and most likely not in our best interest.

I step closer to the table, standing beside Stiles. "Do you know where to find her? We need to warn them about the Dead Pool."

Derek shakes his head, a frown setting into his face. "No, and she's well hidden too. It'll take time to locate her pack without a lead. We'll have to wait for Brett to tell us."

Stiles deflates at his words, the thought of more dead supernaturals on his mind. It was one thing for us to know what was happening, we could prepare for it. Werewolves like Brett though, they had no idea they were a part of some big, sadistic game.

"We'll figure it out," I tell Stiles and he gives me a faint smile in return. "I should go back to the school, check on Scott and let him know Brett's okay."

"I can drive you." Derek speaks up and I silently thank him, both of us venturing closer to the back door of the room.

Deaton and Stiles began to clean up Brett while he was still knocked out and not trying to punch them again. Peter stood and watched them, but turned to meet my eyes when he felt me staring at him. I didn't say anything but I held the door open and scowled at him.

Only over my dead body was I leaving Peter alone with Deaton and Stiles.

Peter held his hands up in mock defense. "Always so protective, little hunter." He said in his usual snarky voice as he sauntered away, disappearing into the night outside.

Derek and I walk to his Cruiser and I slide into the passenger side comfortably, relishing in riding in a car that didn't have duct tape holding its engine in place. 

"The Calaveras found Argent." Derek says a few minutes into the silent ride.

I turned to take in his profile as he watched the road in front of us with careful attention. He and Chris had created a bond after our ordeal with the Nogitsune so I wasn't too surprised Chris trusted him with information, and was now using him as some kind of proxy.

"They're coming for me next." I don't even try to pose it as a question.

"They want Kate, and you and him are their best bets at finding her. Araya's watching Chris and he's going to play along to help us as much as he can. When it comes to you though, after everything you've been doing with Scott and the others..." He trailed off when he saw me nodding, not needing to finish and say the possibilities of what would happen to me.

"Yeah I know, she threatened me in Mexico and I've been waiting for the ball to drop." I admit to him, referencing mine and Araya's conversation and her acts of intimidation at my change of heart.

"Does Scott know?"

"Yup." 

Derek frowned at my one-word answer. "Are you really gonna avoid talking about this?"

I roll my eyes and give him a deadpanned look from the side. 

"Are we gonna talk about whatever Kate did to you and how it's changing you? Or would you rather we avoid that?"

Derek laughs despite himself. "Point taken."

He sighs after though, and continues his mini-lecture. "You just need to be careful, Jac. Araya won't do anything too brash yet but the more attention you guys gather, especially with this Dead Pool, she'll use it to her advantage if things go wrong."

Derek pulled into the campus parking lot and it was significantly more empty than earlier, only a few cars actually parked, and a few cop cars at the curb closest to the school. 

"If you need me, call me. Understand?"

I gave him a grateful smile and truthfully felt relieved. Derek was one of the few who knew I was a killer from the start and never judged me. Even before we were on the same side, neither of us hid what we really were from the other, and a mutual respect was always there.

"Understood." I confirmed before getting out, stepping back from the car to watch Derek drive away.

I turned and headed into the school, shuffling past the groups of people that were randomly placed around. I gave respectful nods to people that looked at me as I passed, not wanting to seem like an odd character especially in an area where someone almost got their head cut off.

Scott and Liam were near the entrance to the locker room talking to some of the other players. Liam noticed me first even though his back was turned to me, and tapped Scott's shoulder to let him know I was here. Scott dismissed himself from the group and came up to me, my helmet underneath his arm. I was thankful Liam didn't follow him, and the players continued to talk his ear off.

"How's Brett?" Scott asked as he stopped in front of me, handing over my helmet I left behind which I silently thanked him for.

"Deaton took care of it, now he's knocked out but he'll be fine. Turns out he's a part of Satomi's pack." I inform him, knowing that's an important detail I shouldn't leave out.

Scott's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. "Oak Creek Satomi?"

I let out an amused breath at how similar Scott and Stiles are even with simple responses. "Yeah, that's her. Once Brett wakes up we can ask him where she is and the rest of his pack, and we can help them too."

"What'd I miss here?" I took a quick glance around us after asking Scott that question just to make sure no one was trying to listen in.

"Turns out Parrish is on the Dead Pool," Scott held his hand out, as if this was some random reminder coming from the top of his head. "No idea what he is, but he's definitely not a werewolf."

"Of course not." I sigh which Scott agrees with. Another werewolf would've been too easy.

"My dad took Violet, and Kira went to make sure Noshiko was okay. The sheriff is checking Violet and Garrett's lockers and every class. He's a little on edge after The Mute rigged the bomb the other night." Scott finishes and I internally praise the sheriff for his reliability and need to make sure the school was safe. He was damn good at his job.

"About earlier-" I stopped a guilty Scott by shaking my head. "Stiles and I already talked about it."

"You did?" Scott was visibly surprised which made me chuckle and reach out to lightly smack his shoulder.

"Is it so hard to believe that we could communicate?" I ask in a fake offended voice, even though I knew the answer.

"Yes." He responds without hesitation.

"I should get back to the motel, I'm so sleep-deprived I apologized to Stiles." I jokingly scoffed and Scott laughed with me, watching me walk away after telling me to drive safely.

I got on my bike and let it warm up for a few minutes since I had been pushing it a lot lately and figured it best to not keep riding right when I started it up. This was a bad idea when I noticed Liam standing at the exit of the school, the glow from the fluorescents inside the building making it look like he had a halo of light around his body. He scanned the area before his eyes landed on me.

He let the door fall closed behind him and made his way over, and I heavily debated driving off before he reached me. I decided against that though and I waited for him to come up to stand in front of my bike. I didn't say anything as he stood there, waiting for him to speak first.

"Can I get a ride?"

Huh?

"Uh, sure." I shifted up on my seat to make room for Liam behind me and he got on but unlike the day after the full moon, he didn't hesitate to put his hands firmly on my waist. 

I took a moment to compose myself at the sudden touch and focused on putting my helmet and gloves on as he pressed himself against me.

The fact that Liam wasn't acknowledging what happened earlier and casually asked me for a ride definitely threw me off. There was no way he wasn't bothered by it and he could've asked Scott for a ride, so what was he doing?

I tried to suppress my overthinking as I drove in the direction of Liam's house. It was hard to not let my mind drift to thoughts of him though as he was right behind me, his heat enveloping me to the point where I barely felt the chill of the wind against my body.

When we got to his house I left my bike running as he got off, ready to just turn and head to the motel, but Liam motioned for me to stay. I cut my bike off to hear him properly and took off my helmet, placing it on the tank in front of me to lean on. It was an attempt to appear casual because I was freaking out inside over whatever he was going to say next.

"Do you like movies?" He blurted out and I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. That definitely wasn't what I expected.

"Um, I've only ever seen whatever Stiles forces me to watch, mostly nerdy stuff." I admitted, still unsure of where this conversation was headed.

"Mason and I are gonna go to a new action movie this Sunday. We got tickets for us and Violet and Garrett, but obviously, they aren't gonna make it. There are two extra tickets so I wanted to know if you maybe, kinda wanted to come with us?"

Liam looked nervous as he elaborated and I felt my own panic rising at the proposition of us hanging out together outside of anything supernatural related. 

"You don't have to be nice, you know." I told him softly as I stared down at my gloved hands, not wanting to wallow in pity. 

"I know." Liam watched me carefully as he spoke. "I'm asking because you're my friend, and I don't want to waste money on tickets."

I couldn't resist the smile that grew on my lips at his words at the end, glancing up to see him smiling now too at my reaction.

There was something inside of me trying to convince myself to tell him no because I shouldn't allow myself to get too attached to him. Someone like Liam, whose eyes were an innocent gold, could never understand what it meant to be like me and live with the things I've done.

That something inside me though, was hushed from the rest of me that was desperate to be close to the Beta.

"Would I be a third wheel with you and Mason?" I joke after a few seconds, already regretting the unsaid acceptance of the invitation that made Liam's smile widen.

"Well, Mason actually asked someone out so you'd be saving me from being the third wheel. What do you say? We can watch people act terribly in front of big explosions and eat super salty popcorn." Liam cheerily told me, his eyes shining bright at the thought of stuffing his face.

"I've never actually had popcorn." Liam's face dropped into shock at my confession.

"You have to come with me now. Say yes." Liam demanded with crossed arms, trying his best to look like he was commanding me.

"Okay, yes." I agree and try to push down the swelling in my chest at how satisfied he looked at my answer, feeling accomplished that I was the one to make him feel that.

"It's a date then." Liam grinned but it disappeared a second after he said it, his eyes widening. "I mean not like a date-date. I just meant it like in a general sense. I'm not -"

I chuckled and started my bike again, not even bothering to say anything else before putting my helmet back on.

"Goodnight, Liam." Liam visibly calmed down and breathed out before giving me a gentle smile.

"Goodnight, Jac."

He watched me as I turned around and sped out of his street, and I tried not to think too much about how much I liked the way he said my name.

~

||| A/N |||

Yall know that scene between Violet and Scott in the show was so iconic, I had to use it as the gif for this part.

Vote and/or comment if ya want!

<3