CHAPTER ONE: wolf moon

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ALEXANDER MCCALL WAS SOUND ASLEEP WHEN HIS DOOR WAS BURST OPEN. "Alec!" A loud whisper came.

Alexander jumped from his bed, tackling the person as he had grabbed the lamp from his nightstand.

"Alec!" Scott yelled, the bat rolling away from him.

"Scott? What the hell?" Alec placed the lamp down on the floor, getting up before leaning down and pulling Scott to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"I heard something outside and wanted to check on you!"

"You heard something outside?" Alec picked up the bat, handing it to Scott before going over to his dresser, taking out the gun.  " it's probably just a raccoon or a skunk."

The two exited, Scott walking closely behind his older brother. "Relax, Scott."

They exited out the house, walking onto the porch. Scott had gestured for them to go separate ways, as Alexander went around the house, Scott examined the porch.

Alec turned around, gun raised when he heard his brother scream. Alec quickly ran back, getting ready to pull the trigger.

"Stiles!" Scott exclaimed. what the hell are you doing?!

Stiles looks just as exasperated as Scott as he eyes the bat in his best friend's hands, then his eyes widen when seeing that gun in Alec's. "You we're gonna shoot me?" He exclaimed.

Scott turned to see that, Alec did, indeed have a gun pulled, watching as his older brother began to place it into the back of his jeans. "You have a gun? Since when?"

"You weren't answering your phone! Why do you have a bat? And why does Alec have a gun?" Stiles questioned, still hanging upside down.

"We thought you were a predator!" Scott yelled, annoyed.

"A pre... Wha?"  Stiles looks at Scott, clearly appalled by the implication, before scoffing and changing the subject to why he's there. He stays hanging upside down.  "Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called-- they're bringing in every officer from the Beacon Department, and even state police."

That had caused the two brothers to frown. "For what?" Scott asked.

Stiles has difficulty concealing his glee regarding his answer. "Two joggers found a body in the woods." Reaching up to pull himself free of the trellis, Stiles lands on his feet in front of the two.

While Alexander looks annoyed, Scott looked confused. "What, a dead body?"

Stiles reaches up and leans on the railing to look at Scott at eye-level with a sarcastic expression." No, a body of water."  Stiles rolls his eyes. "Yes, dumbass, a dead body!"

"Good night. I'm going to bed. Don't go out to find the dead body," Alexander sighs tiredly. "Seriously? I've got work tomorrow and classes are starting soon again."

Scott looks unnerved about this news as Stiles climbs over the railing to join him on the porch. "You mean, like, murdered?" He asked Stiles.

"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl, probably in her twenties."

"So, if they have the body, what are they looking for?" Alec asked.

Stiles becomes overwhelmed with glee at the drama of this situation as he finishes the story. "That's the best part-- they only found half."

"You are so messed up in the head," Alec tells him.

"We're going." Stiles says.

"I've got work tomorrow. Both a shift at night and to be there while you guys are trying out. I'm not going. And if I'm not going, neither of you are."
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Although Alec had gone. He had complained throughout the first couple of minutes of the drive. "Stiles! Tell me why you think it's a good idea to go find a dead body?"

"Because it's awesome!" stiles yelled back.

"You are insane. You are a psychopath. You have a twisted mind," Alec told him, huffing in annoyance. "Great. Now, they've got to look for another dead body."

"What? There's two?" Stiles questioned, confused.

"There's about to be; you!" Alec glared. "I was asleep. After days of not sleeping."

Scott frowned. "You've been sleeping since five or four."

"Yeah. I think I need to up the dosage of milligrams. I haven't slept in a few days. Hey, if I get hit in the back of the head, and knocked out, how long will I be unconscious?"

"That's a concussion! Not sleep!" Stiles yelled immediately. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I was busy. Took a few extra shifts." Alec explained.
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He was asleep in the backseat, only being in the backseat to spiral out in the space. His head rested on the window, legs cramped up a bent, still he laid with his entire back pressing to the side of the vehicle.

"Alec!" Stiles yelled, making the older jump up, hitting his head on the roof before he wiped out his gun, pointing it in the direction of the voice.

"Oh god!" Stiles yelled, horrified as he stumbled back.

Alec realized who it was, rubbing his eyes tiredly. They had pulled into the preserve the Jeep illuminating the sign warning against entry after dark with the Jeep's headlights. Alec moved out of the car.

"We're seriously doing this?" Scott questioned, having his hood up.

"You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town," Stiles replied back.

"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott replied.

"Right, 'cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort," Stiles sarcastically replied.

"No, because I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making first line."

Stiles looks back at Scott in disbelief. "Hey, that's the spirit! Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one."

"Don't be an ass," Alec told Stiles, before he turned to his brother. "That's great, Scott."

The boys walk in silence for a beat before Scott speaks up in the same sarcastic tone Stiles used. "Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"

Stiles looks somewhat sheepish in response to this question. "Huh! I didn't even think about that."

"Great. That's just wonderful," Alec sarcastically speaks. "What's that chance that whoever killed the body is still out here?"

Of course, Stiles grows to be a bit embarrassed, voice lowering as he hesitated. "Also something I didn't think about."

They begin to climb up a hill.

"Did you think about anything?" Alec asked.

"It's comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detailed," Scott replied.

Alexander looked at him, concerned.

"I know."

Scott's breathing starts to become rapid, shallow, and wheezy as the two continue up the hill, with Scott struggling to keep up with Stiles' quick pace. Scott gasped. "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?"
Scott leans his back against a nearby tree as he pulls his inhaler out of his pocket. However, when Stiles keeps pushing on, Scott continues to make his way up the hill after him.

"Want me to carry you?" Alec asked Scott.

Before Scott could either accept or deny the offer, they see a handful of people ahead of them waving flashlights around as part of the search. That had caused for the three to dive behind a large fallen tree branch as they plan their next move, turning off the flashlight so they don't attract attention. Unfortunately for them, Stiles' impatience eventually wins out, and he jumps up and runs toward the action.

Of course, Alec is immediately after him, pulling Scott up before running after Stiles. "I agreed to this with the condition of you listening to me!" Alec yelled.

"Wait!" Scott called out.

"Come on!" Stiles yelled back.

"Stiles! Alec! Wait up!" Scott screamed.

"Stiles!" Alec yelled again

Stiles finally hears the last attempt to call his name, but the split second of distraction caused the nearby K9 officer to start barking at him, scaring him so much he falls backwards onto the ground. The deputy with the search dog immediately points his flashlight at Stiles as he tries to recover from the shock. Alec pulled Stiles back,

"Hold it right there!" The deputy yelled.

Stiles puts his hands up while Scott, several meters behind him, hides behind a nearby tree, pressing his back to it and closing his eyes as though it will keep him from being seen. Just then, another male voice is heard-- it is Noah Stilinski, Stiles' father and the Sheriff of Beacon County. "Hang on, hang on... This little delinquent belongs to me."

Stiles, trying to play it cool, greets his dad warmly. "Dad, how are you doing?"

Stilinski looks at Stiles with a mix of frustration, exasperation, and exhaustion. "So, do you, uh, listen in to all of my phone calls?"

Stiles laughs sheepishly. "No. Heh..." he denies, but his father gives Stiles a look, and Stiles finishes his sentence. "...Not the boring ones."

Stilinski just sighs and nods as though he's accepted this truth about his son before looking around the surrounding area. Then he looked at Alec. "Now, where's your usual partner in crime?"

Alec went to speak up, but,  Stiles immediately tries to play dumb as it starts to rain. "Who, Scott?, Scott's home. He said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for first day back at school tomorrow."

Stilinski looks at Stiles in disbelief as he continues to lie.

"It's just me....and Alec... In the woods... Alone..."

It is obvious that Stilinski doesn't buy what Stiles is saying, and he lifts his flashlight and tries to get a look around to find Scott, who is still hiding behind the tree.  He knows that Alec wouldn't leave either boy alone. "Scott, you out there? Scott?"

After a moment, when Scott doesn't materialize in front of him, Stilinski reluctantly determines that Scott isn't with Stiles after all. He then sighs before grabbing Stiles roughly by the back of the neck and steering him toward the entrance to the preserve. "Well, young man, I'm gonna walk you back to your car... And then you and I are gonna have a conversation about something called "invasion of privacy.""

"And Alec, you and I will have a talk, about following people into the middle of nowhere," Noah tells him.

"What? Would you rather me let your son walk alone?" he questioned, glancing back in worry to where Scott was hidden. "I was asleep when he broke into my room saying he needed help."
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Alexander had left, picking up Scott in the side of the road after Noah watched both him and Stiles drive away.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked.

"I got bit by a wolf," Scott says, wincing.

"A wolf?" Alec questioned, disbelief.
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Alec didn't have the time to explain to Scott why the possibility of it being a wolf that bit him, want possibly. Because, as Alec helped him wrap up the wound, Scott had taken Alec's phone, saying how he would help with Alec's assignment.

So, Alec explained on what he was writing while Scott typed it out. And when, Alec brought up how it wasn't a wolf, Scott was immediately saying how he hadn't been there, and he was the one bitten, he would know what bit him. Alec sighed, waving a hand and telling Scott to sleep before school tomorrow.

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Alec had gotten his own car two years ago, which is why he was driving towards the woods after receiving a text from Stiles.  He had thought about stopping by the school in order to talk to coach Finstock, get the older man to hire him in being assistant -coach.

Or something like that. Really, he just wanted to quiet his job at the dinner and do something else. He had been on the lacrosse team, so, maybe he'd have fun being the assistant coach.

"Finally!" Stiles yelled once Alec pulled the car up next to the jeep. "We've been waiting for you."

"You got out of school twenty minutes ago," Alec tells him.  "Unless you're telling me you skipped your last class?"
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The three are crossing a creek, Alec muttering about these being his favorite shoes as Scott explained the situation of what happened in lacrosse.

"I-I don't know what it was. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball. And that's not the only weird thing. I-I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear. Smell things." Scott ranted.

"Smell things? Like what?" Stiles questioned.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket."

Stiles makes a face as though he thinks Scott is crazy.  "I don't even have any mint mojito--" Stiles checks the inner breast pocket of his blazer and finds, much to his surprise, that there is a single piece of folded-up mint mojito gum, just as Scott sensed. Scott raises both of his arms to the side as if to say, "I told you so." Stiles considers this for a moment before he continues. "So all this started with the bite?"

Stiles seems to find this intriguing, while Scott, ever the nurse's son, is concerned that something is wrong with him.

"What if it's like an infection? Like, my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?"

Alec tilted his head. "If it had been adrenaline, you would be just as tired as you were before you had gone to sleep, so, are you rested or still tired?"

Of course, Stiles gets a small smirk on his face before trying to make himself look as serious as possible, which Scott, who is walking in front of him, doesn't catch. "You know what? I actually think I've heard of this-- it's a specific kind of infection."

Scott paused, turning around. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think it's called lycanthropy."

Scott, still not realizing that Stiles is messing with him, starts to panic. "What's that? Is that bad?"

"Are you-" Alec starts, waving a hand in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah, it's the worst. But only once a month." Stiles continued.

"Once a month?" Scott questioned.

"On the night of the full moon. Aroooo!" Stiles fake-howls like a wolf, and Scott, annoyed, shoves him away, causing Stiles to giggle in amusement. "Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howling!"

"He told you that two, huh?" Alec asked. "Maybe you hit your head."

"Hey, there could be something seriously wrong with me!" Scott yells at the two.

"I know! You're a Werewolf! Rawrrr!" Scott is clearly not impressed by this joke, and Stiles' demeanor becomes serious. "Okay, obviously I'm kidding. But, if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's 'cause Friday's a full moon."

Scott stops walking and looks around, frowning. "No, I-I could have sworn this was it. I saw the body, the deer came running. I dropped my inhaler..."

"Maybe the killer moved the body?" Stiles suggested.

Alec moved his hand to search his waistband, but he didn't have his gun.

"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler. Those things are, like, eighty bucks." Scott complained, kneeling to the floor.

Scott and Stiles are still looking around when suddenly, a man in his early twenties with pale skin, black hair, a black leather jacket, and a scowl appears in front of them. Alec turned his head, jumping and pulling both Scott and Stiles a step back behind him. It took him a second to realize that he recognized the man.

"What are you doing here?" Derek Hale asked, a man that Alec hasn't seen in years. Not since the Hale house burned down.

When Scott and Stiles, both of whom are visibly panicking, don't respond, the man's tone gets even gruffer.  "Huh? This is private property."

Then, Derek turned to Alec, about to question him, bug stopped as he looked at the other, clearly shocked. He had thought he recognized the voice, but, he had that happen multiple other times; thinking he had seen or heard Alec. It never was Alec.

"Derek?" Alec questioned.

"Alec?" Derek questioned back.

"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know." Stiles speaks.

Derek's attention is focused on Alec, Scott turned, not liking the way the man looked at his older brother, he steps in front of Alec.
Alec was still taller then Scott, so he had gone just below his chin. Scott stared back at Derek, an unknown stranger to him. "Yeah, we were just looking for something, but..." Scott was about to continue until Derek glares at him, after which point Scott loses his nerve and drops the subject. "...Uh, forget it."

Suddenly, Derek tosses Scott's inhaler at him before turning and heading back the way he came without a word, he had looked at Alec, but didn't say anything before walking off.

Derek's mind stays in Alec, listening in for Alec's voice.

"Um... All right, come on, I gotta get to work." Scott says, as he goes to walk pass Stiles.

Stiles holds him his hand to physically stop him from walking away. "Dude, that was Derek Hale!"

When Scott looks at Stiles blankly, Stiles' expression becomes incredulous.

"You remember, right? He's only like a few years older than us. He's Alec's age," Stiles says.

Scott frowns. "Remember what?"

"His family. They all burned to death in a fire, like, ten years ago."

Alec stares at where Derek was walking away. "He ran out of class that day and I followed him. The house was on fire, I tried to hold him back from entering. And, it was six years ago."

Scott looks both intrigued and concerned by this news. "What is he doing back?"

"Don't know...Alec, you know him?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah. We used to be in the same grade. Haven't seen him in six years. He and his sister left after the Hale house burnt down," Alec shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory of seeing the Hale house burn. "Let's go. Scott and I are going to be late for work."
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Alexander was annoyed when Stiles called both him and Scott over to his house. Why was he annoyed? Because, once again, Stiles tore him away from his job. Luckily, Alec had an hour until he had to be there, as this time, his boss gave him a late shift. 

Scott knocked on the door, two seconds later, the door opens."Get in." Stiles demanded.

Scott and Alec walk into Stiles' bedroom just as Stiles closes the door. "You gotta see this thing. I've been up all night reading-- websites, books, all this information."

Scott sets his backpack on the floor by Stiles' bed, his eyes widening when he sees all the paper covering the floor and desk."How much Adderall have you had today?"

"A lot." Stiles shakes his head before changing the subject. "Doesn't matter, okay? Just listen."

"I'm gonna hit you over the head to make you go to sleep," Alec tells him.

"Oh, is this about the body? Did they find out who did it?"  Scott questioned.

"No, they're still questioning people. Even Derek Hale." Stiles says.

"Oh, the guy in the woods that we saw the other day? That Alec went to school with?"

"They are questioning him?" Alec asked, a feeling of worry filling his body.

"Yeah! Yes. But that's not it, okay?"

Scott frowns in confusion. "What, then?"

"Remember the joke from the other day?" Stiles looks nervous about what he's going to say next, which only gets worse when Scott shakes his head, not knowing where Stiles is going with this. "Not a joke anymore. The wolf, the bite in the woods... I started doing all this reading."

"Great." Alec sarcastically muttered.

Stiles stands to his feet, already sidetracked from his original point. "Do you even know why a wolf howls?"

"Should I?" Scott asked.

"It's a signal," Alec speaks aloud. "When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack."

"So if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could have been nearby. Maybe even a whole pack of 'em," Stiles tells Scott, nodding to confirm Alec's knowledge.

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott questioned.

"No-- Werewolves."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "You need to go to sleep." He tells him.

Scott, thinking this is just an elaborate joke on Stiles' part, starts to get irritated as he stands to his feet. "Are you seriously wasting my time with this? You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour." Scott picks up his backpack and gets ready to leave.

Stiles grabs him by the arm with one hand and presses his other against his chest so that he's forced to stay where he is while he tries to convince Scott that he's telling the truth. "I saw you on the field today, Scott, okay? What you did wasn't just amazing, all right? It was impossible."

"What happened at the field?" Alec asked.

Scott tries to shrug off Stiles' accusation and once again tries to leave. "Yeah, so I made a good shot."

Stiles grabs Scott's backpack and tosses it onto his bed so dig around inside of it for something. "No, you made an incredible shot! I mean, the way you moved, your speed, your reflexes? Y'know, people can't just suddenly do that overnight. And there's the vision, and the senses, and don't even think I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore."

"Okay! Dude, I can't think about this now. We'll talk tomorrow," Scott interrupted.

"Okay. Both of you calm down. Scott he's sleep deprived, clearly this is an effect of that. Stiles, give back Scott's backpack."

"Tomorrow?! What? No! The full moon's tonight. Don't you get it?" Stiles yelled over Alec.

"What are you trying to do? I-I just made first line. I-I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me, and everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it?"

"I'm trying to help!" Stiles takes a deep breath before he continues in a softer tone of voice. "You're cursed, Scott. You know, and it's not just the moon will cause you to physically change. It also just so happens to be when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

"Bloodlust?" Scott questions.

"Yeah, your urge to kill."

Alec bent down, picking up in of the books that Stiles had scattered across the floor, his eyes landing in a picture.

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill, Stiles." Scott says, irritability.

Alec, normally would have joked about that, but, found himself unable to say anything when looking at the photo.

Stiles frantically grabs The History of Lycanthropy book off of his desk and starts reading aloud from it in an attempt to convince Scott that he is becoming a Werewolf. "You gotta hear this-- "The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse." All right? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. You gotta cancel this date."

Stiles stands to his feet and starts digging through Scott's backpack again. "I'm gonna call her right now."

"What are you doing?" Scott asked.

Alec's eyes widen at the sight. His breathing paused in shock as a set of yellow eyes turned blue, sharp claws sinking into a girl's back.
"Alec!"

Stiles grabs Scott's phone from his bag and starts to pull up Allison's number. "I'm canceling the date."

"No, give it to me!"  Scott grabs the phone out of Stiles' hand, dropping it on the floor before shoving Stiles against the wall and raising his right fist, preparing to punch him in the face. Alec's head snaps up at the sound of the collision,  immediately pulling Scott back. Luckily, Scott hasn't punched Stiles.

Scott instead throws Stiles's desk chair across the room before coming back to himself. Stiles looks horrified, and Scott immediately begins to regret what he's just gone. He looks at the floor with a shameful expression before muttering to Stiles under his breath. "I'm sorry. I-I gotta go get ready for that party."

Scott picks up his phone and his backpack and heads for the door, giving Stiles one last apologetic look before he goes. "I'm sorry."

Scott leaves, and Stiles lets out a long breath of relief. Alec walked over to the younger one, checking him for any injuries. Still clearly upset, Stiles roughly picks up his desk chair and sets it to rights, freezing in horror when he sees that the leather cover on the chair has four long slits on the back that look like claw marks. "Alec." He lowly called, seeing the older one begin to walk towards the door.

Alec turned, freezing in his spot. "Fuck." 

There were scratch marks on the back of the chair.
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"Are you insane? You don't want to go because you don't want to be judged for being there?" Stiles yelled.

"It's weird! Being twenty and going to a sixteen-year-old's party! The only time it isn't, if it's a relative's party! Plus, I have work," Alec argued with the teenager.

"Scott's a werewolf!"

"I have work. And I already was late to a shift because of you Sunday!"

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Alec could barely focus on work, worried about Scott and Stiles. Plus, the other students that were at the party, just, mainly Scott and Stiles.

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So, Alec and Stiles had been driving around, searching for Scott.

Stiles texted him when he found him.

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Alec had gone to the school, finding Coach Finstock to ask if he could be assistant coach.

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