Chapter Twenty-Two

Catching her reflection in a small mirror hanging inside her locker, Erica smiles at herself, loving her new look. But then her smile fades. She had clearly spotted Scott and I emgering from the shadows, ready to contront her about her new look. Just yesterday, she looked like nothing to compare what she looks like now. Erica is hot and the whole school is talking about how Erica could dethrown Lydia's postions as Queen Bee.

Lydia is not happy.

"Two's not enough for Derek. I know he needs at least three. So who's next?" Scott asked Erica as we appeard with a serious look on his face. Erica is Dereks fresh new Beta if you haven't figured that one out already.

"Why's there have to be a next when we've already got you guys?" Erica approached us, meeting us in the middle of the corridor. Isaac, the new Beta who Stiles was helping out, was also Derek's Beta. He looks like he was building an army, to protect himself with the Betas.

"Who's next?" I demanded.

"You know, I never knew what I looked like during a seizure until someone took a video of me once and put it online." Erica continued, completely ignoring our questions.

I clenched my jaw. "We don't care about your sob story."

"It happened during class. I started seizing at my desk. Everyone's saying they should put something in my mouth until some genius reads the card on my key ring which tells you not to because it could break my teeth." Erica explained.

"Erica—" Scott grew tired of Erica.

"Know what happens next? I piss myself." Erica clenched her jaw. I glanced and saw Scott was now listening, so, I decided too, too. "And everyone starts laughing. You know, the only good thing about seizures was that I never remembered them. Until some brilliant jerkoff has to go put a camera in everybody's phone." She comes closer. Scott backs into the wall. She puts her hands up, trapping him. I didn't like that one bit and I felt myself feeling angry. I also felt like I was being trapped. I could feel Scott's panic. "But look at me now."

Scott, however, looks past her to Allison who watches them. I had followed his gaze. "Oh, that's right. You only have eyes for her." Erica had watched the whole thing.

Grabbing her wrists, he pulls her hands from the wall, pushing her back. Roughly. Which she seems to like. I rolled my eyes in disgust at her lust for Scott. When he turns again, however, Allison is gone. I had an idea of what Allison was feeling, it wasn't strong, but I could tell there was some jealously mixed in there. I felt awful for Allison and I glared at Erica as Scott pushed off her.

Erica went to step forward again but I cut myself in between them, feeling protective over Scott. I had bumped my shoulder into hers so her back hits the lockers, and she looked at me, glaring at me. I was glaring right back as she flashed me her yellow eyes, and I flashed mine seconds after she decided to challenge me.

Erica went to leap forward but Scott grabbed her wrist and she simply smirked. "Let it go, Paige. She's not worth it." Scott snapped, letting go of Erica's wrist. With that, Scott and I walked away together and I glanced over one more time to glare at her, getting out of her sight.

⇉

I make my way and sit next to the boys' in the cafeteria as students begin to pile in and take their seat. I dropped my books on the counter, trying to remain calm and focused.

"Scott, you see that?" Stiles had asked Scott and I turned to where they were starring. An empty seat.

"What? It's an empty table." Scott told him.

"Yeah, but whose empty table?" Stiles questioned him and Scott's eyes widened.

"Boyd." Scott whispered and I quickly figured it out. Boyd is Derek's next target.

Scott, Stiles, and I excused ourselves from the cafeteria and  hurry for the school exit. "Me and Paige will go to the ice rink and see if we can find him there. If he's not at his house, you call me. Got it?" Scott explained to us. But Stiles pauses at the door. "What?"

"Maybe we should let him. Boyd. You said Derek's giving them a choice, right?" Stiles suggested.

"We can't." Scott shakes his head.

"Dude, you have to admit, Erica looks pretty good. The word sensational comes to mind." Stiles informed Scott, and I couldn't help feel a tug of jealous at my heart.

"How good do you think she's going to look with a wolfsbane bullet through her head?" Scott hisses and my eyes widen.

"What?" I squeaked out, almost forgetting that people will be coming to kill us if they find out I'm a Beta.

"I'm just saying maybe this one isn't your responsibility." Stiles looked at Scott.

"They all are. You know this thing's going to get out of control. That makes me responsible." Scott told Stiles and I.

"Okay. I'm with you. And I have to say this new heroism thing is making me very attracted to you." Stiles told Scott.

"Shut up." Scott scoffed.

"No, seriously," Stiles nodded. "Do you want to start making out, or—"

"He's not lying," I chimed in as I could feel the sensation. Scott shoves Stiles out the door.

"Okay, I gotta admit Paige, your new-found power to be able to feel everything a persons feeling ten times stronger than normal, is a little annoying," Scott jokingly said and I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, if I had a switch button to turn it off, I'd flick it like no tomorrow," I deadpan.

⇉

With only a single light above illuminating the rink, Boyd fires up the ice resurfacer. Spinning the wheel, he turns it around and then stops. Scott and I walked across the ice toward him. "Boyd!" Scott called out. But the boy looks away, turning the wheel again. He sets off on the resurfacer. "We just wanna talk."

Boyd ignores him, slowly cleaning the ice. "Come on, Boyd, please?" I questioned, beginning him. I tried to put on my best puppy dog look. But he won't even glance back as Scott and I followed behind. "Come on, man."

"Did Derek tell you everything? And I'm not just talking about going out-of-control on full moons. I mean everything." Scott quickly spoke.

Finally, Boyd eases down on the brake, slowing to a stop. "He told me about the hunters." Boyd answered.

"And that's not enough for you to say no?" I questioned. "Because, if I had a choice, I would've said no."

Boyd gives a shrug. Gazing down at the ice, he can see the shadow—almost a reflection—of his own large frame. "Whatever he promised you, it's not worth it. Whatever you want, there's other ways to get it." Scott informed him.

Boyd turns off the machine. "I just want to not eat lunch alone every day." I could feel his sadness as he stares at us. I suddenly felt all of his loneliness build up inside me, it felt tight. Like I was claustrophobic in my thoughts.

"We know what it feels like." Scott gestured towards me.

"Trust me—Feeling it right now." I wheezed out and Scott gives me a concerned look.

"No, you don't." Boyd snapped.

"I do. Not as bad you, but a few weeks ago, I broke up with my girlfriend and I didn't want to have to see her in the cafeteria. So I sat in the hall and ate alone for the day. But the thing is, it actually felt worse. Not just like I didn't have a girlfriend. But like I didn't have anyone." Scott tried to explain his feelings, and I felt my chest pain go down as I felt pity for him. He didn't tell me that. Boyd nods. "I swear, though. If you want friends, you can do better than Derek."

"I'll be your friend." I offered quickly. "You know, I never had any friends last year, either. But you knew that, Boyd, didn't you? You and I sat alone across the Cafeteria from each other, yet neither of us spoke to each other. I admit, half of that is my fault because I used to have social anxiety, but then I made friends. So, you can be our friend, too, Boyd. Just don't be Derek's."

"That hurts, guys." Derek appeared out of no where, causing me to jump. Derek stands at the entrance to the rink, Isaac and Erica right behind him. I made eye contact with Isaac, who smirked at me. I'll admit, he is cute. "But I'll try not to take it personally."

Isaac and Erica move onto the ice, flanking Scott and I like attack dogs preparing for the kill. I felt fear and anxiety built up in front of me, but not from Scott. He took a step in front of me, prepared to fight them. "If you're going to review me, at least take a consensus. Erica, how's life been for you since we met?"

"In a word? Transformative." Erica opens her mouth to reveal growing fangs. Scott takes a cautious step back, hs hand tightly on my wrist and pushing me back.

"Isaac?" Derek asked.

"I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive, but other than that? I'm great." Isaac answered.

Scott holds his hands up in a placating gesture, taking another step back as Isaac and Erica circle us. "Okay, hold on. This isn't exactly a fair fight." Scott told Derek.

"Then go home, Scott." Derek stares right at Scott.

But instead of another step back, Scott goes down, a clawed hand crackling into the ice. From a crouched pose, he snaps his head up to reveal himself transformed into a werewolf. I could feel my own formation to move. The fangs slowly come out of my teeth, my long finger nails grew a few inches, all nice and sharp. I bare my teeth at Erica.

"I meant fair for them." Scott cockily spoke. Now, mind you, I have never fought before. And I didn't know that I could transform with such control, but somehow, being next to Scott I feel more in control. I felt connected to him. It was like he was the one guiding me through the transformation with out adubile speech.

Baring his fangs, Scott roars and launches himself up for the attack. Isaac smashes down onto the ice and goes sliding across it. Launching himself back onto his feet, he snarls through his fangs.

Erica hurtles across the rink toward me. But with acrobatic precision, I digged my cla into the ice and kicks out at her, sending her flipping into the air. I felt overwhelmed as I flipped my hair behind my head, standing up. Scott stared at me with a surprised expression.

"Where did that come from?" Scott asked.

I beamed. "I don't know—But that was cool, right?"

Derek watches the wolves circle and fight, silently pleased by the vicious attacks we launch on each other. "Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you. He's just adding to his own power. It's all about him." Scott snapped at the others. Laid out on the ice, an injured Erica and Isaac glance to each other, now no longer nearly as confident. I smirked. "You feel like he's giving you some kind of gift, when all he's really done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs."

"It's true. It is about power." Derek agreed with Scott. Derek walks across the ice and with each step he seems to grow. Eyes turning a brilliant red, fangs snapping out from his gums, claws unsheathing from fingertips.

Scott and I scrambled into a retreat, but Derek moves like lightning. He grabs Scott by the back of his jacket. Leaving me to scramble and to transform back to human. I skid backwards, watching Scott slide around.

The two wolves go up, snarling and snapping at each other's throats. But Derek is the Alpha. And he proves it. He slashes Scott's side with his claws and then with the full weight of his power behind him, lifts him up over his head and slams him down onto the ice.  sharks and chunks fly up around the boy. Blood at his lips, Scott is down for the count. 

I felt his pain and clenched tightly.

Teeth clenched, Derek looks down at him with pity and slowly backs away. Derek glances showing me his bright red eyes at me, as if he was silently asking me to fight him. I shake my head and shuffled back a little bit. His eyes dimming.

Pushing himself up, Scott blinks away the blur to see Boyd now standing over him. "You don't want it. You don't want to be like them."

"You're right. I want to be like you." Boyd spoke and I felt Scott being touched. But, Boyd lifts up his shirt to reveal a blood crusted wound at his side. He's already been bitten. 

Scott slowly rests his head back down on the ice, watching the canted view of not two but three new werewolves walking away with their Alpha. We'd failed.